Spearmint Provides an Update on Recent Lithium Developments in Clayton Valley, Nevada
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 16, 2024) - Spearmint Resources Inc. (CSE: SPMT) (OTC Pink: SPMTF) (FSE: A2AHL5) (the "Company" or "Spearmint") wishes to report on some recent developments by our neighbor within the Clayton Valley of Nevada. On September 10, 2024, SLB (formerly Schlumberger) announced that "… it has proven its solution for sustainable lithium production at scale at its demonstration plant in Clayton Valley, Nevada, to accelerate responsibly-sourced lithium products to market. The proprietary integrated solution combines SLB's subsurface expertise with surface engineering of advanced technologies that include direct lithium extraction (DLE). It produces lithium 500 times faster than conventional methods while using only 10 percent of the land. Operating at approximately one tenth the size of a commercial-scale facility, the plant reached a verified recovery rate of 96% lithium from brine… The conventional alternative for producing lithium from brine at scale is evaporation. This process not only requires a significant amount of land but also results in massive water loss. Salt, underground minerals and used chemicals are then left at the surface, creating impact on biodiversity and the environment. SLB's sustainable lithium production solution enhances sustainability by reducing water use. The proprietary process also returns the spent brine, or the brine with a reduced lithium concentration, back to its source after the lithium is processed and separated… The entire SLB solution, from extracting lithium from brine to converting it to technical-grade lithium carbonate, takes just hours. By comparison, evaporation methods can take up to 18 months and have a much lower recovery rate of 50 percent or less."
James Nelson, President of Spearmint Resources stated, "We would like to congratulate SLB and Pure Energy on their hard work and success on this significant and scalable lithium production milestone. To achieve this level of efficiency in lithium production on such a reduced footprint compared to the existing evaporation pond method, it is truly a gamechanger for lithium development in Clayton Valley, Nevada. Spearmint maintains a sizeable footprint in Clayton Valley across 4 separate projects that have exposure to both lithium brine and lithium clay formations. Spearmint is currently permitted by the BLM for 4 additional drill holes on the McGee Lithium Clay Project and are optimistic about what the future has in store for the lithium stakeholders in Clayton Valley."