Lithium developer Lake Resources has submitted the production environmental impact assessment (EIA) for its Kachi project to the Catamarca Mining Ministry in Argentina.
The production EIA is intended to demonstrate that due attention has been given to the potential impact of the mining operations on the environment and local community.
The EIA, prepared by global engineering consulting firm Knight Piesold, is based on the production scenario presented in the definitive feasibility study in which lithium brine is extracted through production wells, pumped to the direct lithium extraction (DLE) plant for lithium recovery and then injected back into the subsurface via injection wells.
Lake notes that the Lilac ion exchange process requires “a fraction” of the water required for evaporation ponds and absorption DLE technology.
The company has also incorporated a zero-liquid discharge unit that further reduces freshwater consumption by about 75%. The injection of spent brine allows Lake to design a system that maximises lithium recovery, while maintaining the hydrological system as close to baseline conditions as possible during operations.
Other environmental benefits of Kachi, Lake says, include a smaller land footprint and lower solid waste output compared with traditional evaporation ponds and hard rock projects.