CleanTech Lithium has signed an agreement with KMX Technologies to use KMX proprietary methods for concentrating lithium.

Using this technology will result in higher water recovery and lower energy intensity, CleanTech said.

CleanTech is targeting the second half of 2024 to produce battery-grade lithium from its Laguna Verde project in Chile.

KMX's technology will be incorporated into CleanTech's direct lithium extraction process.

CleanTech is conducting laboratory-scale DLE work to produce 1 kilogramme of lithium from Laguna Verde. This is expected to be completed by the end of April, CleanTech said.

The company aims to kick off construction of the demonstration plant after the completion of the production of lithium.

KMX is a "best-in-class technology which concentrates lithium in a single-stage process with higher water recovery and lower energy usage," CleanTech chief executive Aldo Boitano said.

KMX's membrane distillation process may be able to replace these units in a single-stage process, CleanTech said. Water recovery will be much higher because KMX uses a membrane and not an evaporator.