Four international companies lead lithium projects in Bolivia after YLB call for proposals

Bolivia’s state-owned lithium company, YLB, has announced that four international companies have obtained the highest score in the second international call for “Expressions of interest on the development of projects and technology for the use of evaporite resources.” The selected companies are CBC (China), Protecno (Italy), Eramet (France) and Eau Lithium (Australia).

According to the official statement from Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos, these companies were evaluated based on their level of technological maturity, the solidity of their financial proposals, the technical parameters presented and the estimated time for the execution of their projects. Three of the companies already operate proven and successful systems in real environments, while one has a fully qualified system in an operational environment.

As for specific proposals, the Chinese company CBC presented a project focused on the extraction of lithium from waste brine using the adsorption method. Meanwhile, the Italian company Protecno proposed an innovative treatment of waste water in existing plants, in addition to offering solutions for the supply of drinking water to nearby populations and the treatment of groundwater.

Eramet (France) and Eau Lithium (Australia) presented projects focused on Direct Extraction of Lithium (DEL) from well brines, a technology that is being promoted by Bolivia as part of its lithium industrialization strategy.

Bolivia, which has some of the largest lithium reserves in the world, is focusing its efforts on industrializing the resource through two main technologies: Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technology and evaporation technology. DLE allows for the recovery of between 80% and 90% of lithium carbonate, while evaporation technology achieves recovery rates of 30% to 40%.

With this call, launched in January of this year, Bolivia seeks to consolidate itself as a key player in the lithium industry at a global level, enhancing its resources and technology in collaboration with leading international companies in the sector.