Reuters
International Battery Metals on Thursday said it leased its portable direct lithium extraction (DLE) plant to a customer that aims to begin producing the metal needed for electric vehicle batteries inside the United States within six months. The move would make IBAT the first company to commercially produce lithium with a DLE technology, a major step forward amid ongoing efforts to revolutionize the way the ultralight metal is processed for the clean energy transition. Lithium is typically produced using large, water-intensive evaporation ponds or open-pit mines.