Exxon aims to make key lithium technology decision by year end

Tetra Technologies

15/02/2024 21:54

By Ernest Scheyder
       LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil
 XOM.N  plans to decide by the end of the year which  lithium
filtration technology it will use in Arkansas as part of its
push to become one of the world's top producers of the battery
metal, an executive said on Thursday.
    The company last fall announced its long-anticipated plan to
filter lithium from the Smackover brine formation that flows
under Arkansas, with the aim of producing enough of the metal by
2030 to power 1 million electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
    The plan will require a complex mix of equipment, including
at least one of a so-far unproven fleet of direct lithium
extraction (DLE) technologies to filter the metal from the
brine.   
    Exxon has built a pilot plant in Houston and spent recent
months testing various DLE technologies, producing small amounts
of battery-grade lithium, Patrick Howarth, head of Exxon's
lithium business, said in an interview on the sidelines of the
Arkansas Lithium Innovation Summit in Little Rock.
    Howarth, who has worked at Exxon for nearly 19 years, said
the facility allows the company to test how the DLE processes
interact with the rest of the vast network of equipment needed
for production.
    "DLE is a small part of a really complicated process that
has many different steps," said Howarth. "We're really focused
on how do they interact with one another."
    Lithium production with partner Tetra Technologies  TTI.N 
is expected to begin in Arkansas by 2026, and by 2027 from
roughly 120,000 acres (48,562 hectares) Exxon owns
independently. 
    Exxon has had early discussions with automakers about
purchasing lithium, but no agreements have been made, Howarth
said.
    "What we've seen, especially following the announcement in
November, is a very real strong pull for the projects and
ultimately the (lithium) product that we're bringing to market,"
he said.
    Exxon and Tetra's agreement to develop roughly 6,100 acres
in Arkansas is part of a memorandum of understanding that both
companies said they are working to finalize. 

 (Reporting by Ernest Scheyder
Editing by Bill Berkrot)
 ((ernest.scheyder@thomsonreuters.com; Twitter: @ErnestScheyder;
+1-713-210-8512; Reuters Messaging:
ernest.scheyder.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))