U.S.-based ILiAD Technologies announced the deployment of a direct lithium extraction (DLE) pilot unit at Rio Tinto’s Sal de Vida project in Catamarca Province, Argentina. The program marks the start of an in-field demonstration designed to evaluate the performance, efficiency and scalability of the company’s proprietary DLE technology under real operating conditions.
By Panorama Minero
According to the company, the pilot will test ILiAD’s DLE platform, including its latest ILiAD+ enhancements, across a range of brines at the Sal de Vida site. The objective is to validate long-term operational performance and confirm the technology’s ability to operate efficiently in a real-world environment, a key step in the technical evaluation process.
ILiAD described the deployment as a significant milestone for the company. “We are excited to transition into this in-field program with Rio Tinto. Our latest advancements in DLE offer meaningful project savings, and this test deployment allows us to demonstrate that performance directly,” said Samuel Moore, Chief Executive Officer of ILiAD Technologies.
The company also highlighted its investments in building local capabilities in Argentina to support potential large-scale deployment. Moore noted that Argentina represents a strategic market for ILiAD and emphasized the collaborative work underway with Rio Tinto’s technical teams during the pilot program.
The pilot deployment builds on the strategic relationship established in 2023, when Rio Tinto, then through Livent, invested in ILiAD Technologies. The collaboration reflects the growing role of high-performance DLE technologies as the lithium industry seeks to secure supply amid rising global demand from electric vehicles and energy storage applications.
“This pilot represents an important next step in our collaboration with ILiAD,” said Barbara Fochtman, Managing Director, Rio Tinto Lithium. “With more than 30 years of experience operating DLE at commercial scale, we have the expertise to evaluate new technologies and integrate them with proven processes. That combination is essential to advancing efficient and sustainable lithium production.”
According to the information released, ILiAD’s technology is designed to operate across a wide range of global brine chemistries, combining high lithium recovery rates with strong impurity rejection and low water consumption. The company positions the platform as a scalable solution aligned with the industry’s push toward more efficient and sustainable lithium extraction.
