Media Advisory

Standard Lithium Commences Operations at First-of-Its-Kind Direct Lithium Extraction Plant in Arkansas

Virtual ribbon cutting and plant walk-through with introduction to the disruptive direct lithium extraction process

EL DORADO, Ark., Sept. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Standard Lithium Ltd., an innovative technology and lithium project development company, marks the commencement of operations at the company’s LiSTR Direct Lithium Extraction facility, with a virtual ribbon cutting event and video tour that includes a walk-through of the plant and extraction technology.

Who: Co-hosted by Robert Mintak, CEO and Dr. Andy Robinson COO of Standard Lithium, and project partner LANXESS USA CEO Antonis Papadourakis. Remarks by Arkansas Governor, Asa Hutchinson, Senators John Boozman and Tom Cotton, member of Congress Bruce Westerman, local officials and other stakeholders.
What: The successful commissioning and commencement of operations of this global “first-of-its-kind” industrial-scale Direct Lithium Extraction demonstration plant is the culmination of three years of dedicated work. Lithium is an integral component of batteries for electric vehicles (EV). As EV purchases have rocketed so has the need for batteries, which in turn is fueling lithium demand.
When: Monday, September 21 at 2 pm ET – Ribbon Cutting event
	Pre-briefings under NDA and day-of briefings are available, To schedule, please contact [e-mail].
Where: Ribbon Cutting event and tour of the LiSTR plant located at the LANXESS South Plant facility approximately 10 minutes from El Dorado, Arkansas will be hosted on the company’s website and YouTube channel.

Additional Background

LiSTR Direct Lithium Extraction Technology: LiSTR (an acronym for Lithium Stirred Tank Reactor) is an environmentally-friendly technology that selectively extracts lithium ions from tail brine that is a by-product of existing bromine production facilities run by LANXESS in south Arkansas. When compared to the conventional methods for recovering lithium from brine, the LiSTR process provides many benefits:

• Vastly increased recovery time - from as long as a year to several hours
• Significant efficiency gains - as 90% recovery versus 40-60%
• Improved final product purity
• Unlocking of unconventional resources like Arkansas Smackover Brines

Critical Mineral: Lithium’s growing importance was reflected in a Trump administration executive order. The soft metal was among 35 “critical minerals” for which the government wants to boost domestic production and reduce its heavy reliance on imports.