Novandino's "Chilean-style" project to extract lithium and reinject brine into Salar de Atacama
Novandino Litio, a partnership between Codelco and SQM, is set to launch its flagship project, dubbed "a la chilena" or "Chilean-style," aimed at lithium extraction in the Salar de Atacama. The company plans to invest US$3 billion in this initiative. A key objective is to significantly reduce the use of continental water resources by the fifth year of operation. Concurrently, the project intends to reinject a substantial volume of brine back into the salt flat. To achieve these goals, Novandino will employ a suite of advanced technologies. These include forced evaporation, nanofiltration, direct lithium extraction (DLE), and reverse osmosis. The company internally describes the project as custom-designed for the specific conditions of the Salar de Atacama.
This project represents a significant effort by Novandino Litio to balance lithium production with environmental sustainability in the sensitive Salar de Atacama ecosystem. The substantial investment and planned reduction in continental water usage, coupled with brine reinjection, signal a shift towards more responsible resource management in the lithium industry. The adoption of advanced technologies like direct lithium extraction suggests a strategic response to the environmental challenges associated with traditional evaporation pond methods. Future assessments will likely focus on the long-term efficacy and ecological impact of these novel techniques, particularly concerning brine chemistry and local biodiversity, and how they set precedents for resource extraction in arid, ecologically critical zones.
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