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US-20260125775-A1 - INTERNAL WATER REUSE IN DIRECT LITHIUM EXTRACTION SYSTEMS

US20260125775A1US 20260125775 A1US20260125775 A1US 20260125775A1US-20260125775-A1

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for recovering and reusing water generated within a direct-lithium-extraction (DLE) process supplied by a midstream-liquid resource. A DLE system receives a metal-containing fluid and performs a DLE operation to produce (i) a lithium-depleted fluid, (ii) a rinse, and/or (iii) a lithium-concentrate fluid such as a retained rinse or a lithium product in solution. A membrane-separation station operates on a selected process stream to generate a permeate and a retentate. At least a portion of the permeate is reintroduced within the DLE system to support internal water-use functions, including supplying a rinse station as rinse fluid, preparing a reagent solution at a reagent station, and optionally providing water for additional operations such as membrane cleaning, filtration backwash, electrochemical-unit makeup, or general system makeup. At least a portion of the retentate may also be reused within the DLE system, including for alkalinity adjustment, ionic-strength balancing, feed blending, or internal recirculation. By recovering and redirecting water generated from midstream-liquid resources, the system reduces external fresh-water demand, improves resource efficiency, and enhances the operability of DLE deployments in remote or water-constrained environments.

Inventors

  • Hood H. Whitson
  • SARAH HAUSE
  • Wes Kowalczuk

Assignees

  • LITHOS INDUSTRIES, INC., DBA ELEMENT3

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20251219

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A method for recovering a fluid during operation of a direct lithium extraction (DLE) system used to extract lithium from a midstream-liquid resource and reusing the fluid within the DLE system, the method comprising: a) recovering, from the DLE system, a process stream selected from a lithium-depleted fluid, a rinse, and a lithium-concentrate fluid, wherein the lithium-depleted fluid is a fluid in which lithium has been selectively removed by a DLE process, and wherein the lithium-concentrate fluid is a fluid in which lithium is in solution as a result of a DLE process including diffusion into a rinse and/or elution to form a lithium product in solution; b) performing membrane separation on the recovered process stream at a membrane-separation station to produce a permeate and retentate; and c) reintroducing at least a portion of the permeate or at least a portion of the retentate for reuse within the DLE system, and i) wherein reintroducing at least a portion of the permeate includes use of the permeate as at least one constituent at a rinse station or reuse in preparing a reagent solution; or ii) wherein reintroducing at least a portion of the retentate includes reuse of the retentate within the DLE system.
  2. 2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the DLE process comprises ion exchange or adsorption using a sorbent composition, and placing lithium into solution comprises forming a lithium-bearing liquid during a rinse step and/or eluting lithium at a reagent station to form a lithium product in solution.
  3. 3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the DLE process comprises membrane-based separation, and placing lithium into solution comprises producing the lithium-concentrate fluid as an aqueous liquid generated by the membrane-based separation or forming a lithium-bearing liquid during a rinse step.
  4. 4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the DLE process comprises electrochemical extraction, and placing lithium into solution comprises producing a lithium product in solution downstream of the electrochemical extraction and/or forming a lithium-bearing liquid during a rinse step.
  5. 5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the recovered process stream comprises the lithium-concentrate fluid.
  6. 6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the lithium-concentrate fluid is at least one of: (i) a rinse retained after a rinse step, and (ii) a lithium product in solution formed at a reagent station.
  7. 7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein reintroducing comprises supplying the permeate to the rinse station as at least a portion of a rinse fluid applied by the rinse station.
  8. 8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein reintroducing comprises preparing a reagent solution at the reagent station using at least a portion of the permeate.
  9. 9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the reagent comprises an acid selected from HCl and H 2 SO 4 .
  10. 10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising gating reintroduction on a reuse specification comprising at least a Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) bound and a pH bound, and directing the permeate or retentate to polishing when the reuse specification is not met.
  11. 11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein rinsing is performed before elution or after a contact time, and at least a portion of a rinse retained after the rinse step is routed to the membrane-separation station for water removal.
  12. 12 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising monitoring at least TDS and pH of the permeate at the point of reintroduction and enabling reintroduction only when the reuse specification is satisfied.
  13. 13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein reintroducing at least a portion of the permeate further comprises using at least a portion of the permeate as a constituent of a membrane-cleaning fluid supplied to a membrane within the DLE system.
  14. 14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein reintroducing at least a portion of the permeate further comprises using at least a portion of the permeate as a constituent of a backwash fluid applied within the DLE system.
  15. 15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein reintroducing at least a portion of the permeate or retentate further comprises using at least a portion of the permeate or retentate as a constituent of an electrolysis-makeup fluid applied to an electrochemical unit within the DLE system.
  16. 16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein reintroducing at least a portion of the permeate or retentate further comprises using at least a portion of the permeate or retentate as a constituent of a general DLE system makeup fluid used to maintain hydraulic balance or ionic stability within the DLE system.
  17. 17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein reintroducing at least a portion of the retentate further comprises using at least a portion of a filtration retentate to retain lithium that would otherwise be lost to disposal.
  18. 18 . The method of claim 1 , wherein reintroducing at least a portion of the retentate further comprises using at least a portion of a filtration retentate to maintain or adjust ionic strength within the DLE system.
  19. 19 . The method of claim 1 , wherein reintroducing at least a portion of the retentate further comprises blending at least a portion of a filtration retentate with a feed stream supplied to the DLE system.
  20. 20 . The method of claim 1 , wherein reintroducing at least a portion of the retentate further comprises circulating at least a portion of a filtration retentate within an internal recirculation loop of the DLE system to reduce waste volume or enhance separation efficiency.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION The present Continuation-In-Part (CIP) Utility Patent Application claims priority to U.S. Non-Provisional Utility patent application Ser. No. 18/601,898, filed on Mar. 11, 2024, and entitled “USE OF SORBENT COMPOSITIONS WITH NANOBUBBLES IN PRODUCED WATER APPLICATIONS,” which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Utility Patent Application No. 63/489,639, filed on Mar. 10, 2023, and entitled “USE OF SORBENT COMPOSITIONS WITH NANOBUBBLES IN PRODUCED WATER APPLICATIONS.” The disclosures of the prior Related Applications are considered part of, and are incorporated by reference into, the present CIP Patent Application. TECHNICAL FIELD In an embodiment, the subject matter relates to direct lithium extraction (DLE) from a midstream liquid resource, including systems and methods for recovering and reusing water generated within a DLE process. A membrane station operates on lithium-depleted rinse fluids, lithium-concentrate rinse fluids, and/or recovered rinse fluids to produce a membrane permeate or retentate that is routed back into the system to a rinse station as a rinse fluid, to a reagent station for preparing a reagent solution, and/or for a variety of other applications, including membrane cleaning, backwashing filtration units, supplying electrolysis-makeup fluid, providing general DLE system makeup fluid, adjusting alkalinity, retaining lithium that would otherwise be lost to disposal, balancing ionic strength, blending with a feed stream, or supporting internal recirculation loops. BACKGROUND Midstream liquid resources, such as oil-and-gas wastewater, produced water, and subsurface brines, can contain lithium alongside dissolved salts, organics, or other constituents. DLE operations seek to selectively transfer lithium from such resources into a lithium-bearing liquid while managing the broader water balance and mass balance of the facility. Water is used at multiple points in the DLE flow, including rinsing and reagent preparation, membrane cleaning, backwashing filtration units, supplying electrolysis-makeup fluid, providing general system makeup, adjusting alkalinity or ionic strength, and diluting or transporting intermediate process streams. Drawing all such water from external sources can impact logistics and cost, and discharging internal-process liquids can increase handling burdens. In some operating regions, such as arid basins including portions of the U.S. State of Texas where produced water may contain lithium, naturally available freshwater is limited, increasing the value of reliable onsite water sources. In geothermal operations, circulating geothermal brines can mobilize lithium from reservoir formations and return lithium in the produced geofluid. Such brines are typically recirculated after heat exchange and may exhibit elevated total dissolved solids with species including, for example, silica and other dissolved minerals. A side stream of geothermal brine is directed to a DLE unit to selectively transfer lithium into a lithium-concentrate fluid while producing a lithium-depleted fluid for reinjection or further treatment. Integrating DLE with geothermal facilities may provide an additional revenue stream and increase the economic attractiveness of geothermal installations by leveraging existing wells, power, and surface infrastructure, while accommodating reinjection requirements, materials compatibility, scaling propensity, and variability in feed composition. SUMMARY For reasons outlined above, including water use at multiple points in the DLE flow, limited freshwater availability in certain geographic operating regions, and opportunities presented by geothermal and other resources, there remains a need for a reliable, controllable water source to support direct lithium extraction. One or more embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods and systems for enhancing the extraction of lithium from midstream liquid resources. An embodiment addresses the need for effective pre-treatment, rinsing, and polishing processes to ensure the efficient removal of impurities and enhance lithium extraction. An embodiment also enables the generation of reagents onsite and sustainably provides water for system maintenance. An embodiment of the present disclosure includes a method for recovering a fluid during operation of a direct-lithium-extraction (DLE) system. The method includes recovering a process stream selected from a lithium-depleted fluid, a rinse, or a lithium-concentrate fluid; performing membrane separation on the recovered process stream to produce a permeate and a retentate; and reintroducing at least a portion of the permeate or retentate for reuse within the DLE system. In some embodiments, reintroduction includes supplying permeate as a constituent of a rinse fluid or for preparing a reagent solution. In other embodiments, reintroduction includes using retentate within the DLE system for internal reuse. Another embodiment is a system c