Prairie Lithium Corporation, which Arizona Lithium Limited (AZL) is acquiring, will receive a grant from the Critical Mineral Research Development and Demonstration (CMRDD) program for natural resources in Canada (NRCan).
Prairie Lithium will receive a total of C$1.074 million, which will be matched by Prairie and invested in direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology development.
“Securing support from NRCan is instrumental for the company’s development and further demonstrates the federal government’s commitment to developing key critical mineral projects across the country. The grant allows us to accelerate our DLE technology development with the goal of advancing to commercial scale lithium production as quickly as possible,” Prairie Lithium President and CEO Zach Maurer said.
Arizona Lithium Managing Director Paul Lloyd commented: “We are pleased that Prairie has been awarded this grant funding, as we continue to position the Arizona Lithium group as a leader in lithium processing and development in North America. We look forward to using our joint lithium expertise to further advance the DLE technology at both AZL’s Lithium Research Centre in Tempe, Arizona and Prairie’s pilot plant in Emerald Park, Saskatchewan.”
AZL inked a definitive deal in December 2022 to acquire Prairie Lithium, one of Canada’s most advanced lithium brine companies, and one of the world’s most sophisticated DLE projects.
Prairie Lithium owns a lithium deposit in Saskatchewan, Canada, and a proprietary lithium extraction process technology. Prairie Lithium Ion Exchange (PLIX), a patented lithium extraction process technology, is an ion-exchange polymer that selectively separates lithium from brine. According to AZL, PLIX may have a global use, as the method is currently being tested on lithium deposits from various countries.
AZL said Prairie’s JORC Inferred Mineral Resource is 4.1 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) at 111 mg/L, making it the best-quality inferred lithium brine resource identified in Canada to date. AZL added that the acquisition represents a 1,200% increase in the company’s global lithium resource, which now stands at 4.4MT of LCE (inferred and indicated).
