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Project Overview
In 2023, 乐播传媒 made a significant leap by acquiring a ~100,000-acre lithium resource in Chile, where we plan to develop one of the world鈥檚 first commercial Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) facilities, along with a refinery near the port
| Location & Size | 100,000+ Acres in Antofagasta |
| Lithium In Situ (LCE)1 | Up to 9.8M tonnes (Base 4.5M) |
| Lithium Concentration | Up to 1,150 mg/L (Avg. 300mg/L) |
| Production Target | 7,500 tpa LCE (Phase I) – 2028 52,500 tpa LCE (Phase II) 鈥� 2030 100,000 tpa LCE (Phase III) 鈥� TBD 150,000 tpa LCE (Phase IV) 鈥� TBD |
| CapEx per Ton Estimate | ~$12,410 / tpa |
| OpEx per Ton Estimate | ~$2,944 / tonne |
| Total Investment | $725,000,000 |
| Product Quality | 99.9% Lithium Carbonate |
| Engineering Stage | PFS Complete (Worley FEL 2+) |
At Project Black Giant鈩�, 乐播传媒 is making incredible strides. The pilot plant in Antofagasta is producing battery-grade lithium, a critical milestone that demonstrates our technology鈥檚 commercial viability. We鈥檝e fully built out a 54,000-square-foot facility鈥攊ncluding laboratories, offices, a cantina, and pilot/demo facilities鈥攖o process Black Giant brine.
At Project Black Giant鈩�, 乐播传媒 is producing battery-grade lithium at its Antofagasta pilot plant, marking a key step toward commercial viability. The fully built 54,000-square-foot facility includes labs, offices, a cantina, and pilot systems to process Black Giant brine.
FEATURED PRODUCT
Lithium Carbonate
Lithium carbonate is a foundational material for lithium-ion batteries and industrial manufacturing, serving as the primary precursor for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode production. Its versatility, stability, and cost efficiency make it a critical input for electric vehicles, grid energy storage, ceramics, and specialty glass applications. Unlike conventional lithium production methods that require multiple downstream impurity removal and softening stages, 乐播传媒鈥檚 Direct Lithium Extraction technology removes nearly all impurities including boron during the initial extraction process, polishing off the rest downstream and concentrating the lithium at high purity. Battery grade lithium carbonate is then directly precipitated from this鈥揺liminating several of the complex and expensive refinery steps. Lithium hydroxide can also be directly produced from this using a membrane process that skips the lithium carbonate precipitation step. By producing high-purity battery grade lithium carbonate and hydroxide from lithium brines using advanced separation and refining technologies, 乐播传媒 reduces chemical consumption, achieves high recoveries and simplifies the process resulting in one of the lowest capital as well as operating costs in the industry, streamlining the path to scalable lithium production for the rapidly growing electrification market.
The Next Chapter of
Global Critical Materials
DLE Commercial Plant Layout
DLE Plant at Antofagasta
The DLE processing plant includes Brine Pre-Treatment, Adsorption, RO, Ca-Mg Removal, Ca-Mg and Boron IX, and Brine Evaporation units. The facility also consists of reagent storage and preparation areas, utility systems (power, water, and air distribution), a laboratory, and a centralized control station.
DLE Plant Process Overview
DLE Plant Facility
The DLE processing plant includes Brine Pre-Treatment, Adsorption, RO, Ca-Mg Removal, Ca-Mg and Boron IX, and Brine Evaporation units. The facility also consists of reagent storage and preparation areas, utility systems (power, water, and air distribution), a laboratory, and a centralized control station.
Dle Plant Process Overview
Filtration (FX)
The raw brine from the storage pond contains suspended solids and other contaminants that could affect adsorption column operations.
Therefore, the brine is pretreated using candle filters. The treated brine then gravitates to the nearby adsorption feed pond. The brine goes through 5-micron strainers before entering adsorption columns.
The eluate and the spent brine coming from adsorption is also filtered before going to the respective storage ponds.
The filtration system is designed for a capacity of 2,712 m鲁/hr, providing a 30% margin above the required brine flow rate.
Dle Plant Process Overview
Adsorption (AX)
The adsorption system consists of 18 columns arranged in six rows, with three columns per row. Each column measures 21 ft in diameter and 9 ft in height. Each column is designed for a flow rate of 520 m鲁/hr.
The eluate (product brine) from each row of columns gravitates to the eluate pond for further processing. The overall system features a high degree of process automation, minimizing labor requirements.
Each row of three columns is capable of producing 7,500 up to 15,000 tpa LCE with adsorption improvements, depending on feed grade and productivity.
Dle Plant Process Overview
Reverse Osmosis (RO)
The RO system has a design capacity of 2,880 m鲁/hr, with each RO unit processing 480 m鲁/hr. The system includes six operating units, housed within a total of thirty-six 40-ft containers. Six of the 40-ft containers operate as one unit.
Eluate from the AX process is concentrated through a series of RO membrane stages to achieve a final brine total dissolved solids (TDS) of 8%. The feed eluate has a TDS of 0.58%. The RO skids are provided as a full turnkey solution, designed for plug-and-play operation.
Dle Plant Process Overview
Calcium & Magnesium Precipitation (CaMgX)
The calcium and magnesium purification stage consists of three reactors, each with a capacity of 82.5 m鲁.
The system provides a total active residence time of ~45 minutes. The first two reactors are equipped for dosing NaOH and Na鈧侰O鈧�, which are used for the precipitation of calcium carbonate (CaCO鈧�) and magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)鈧�).
Dle Plant Process Overview
Filtration
The precipitated calcium and magnesium cake from the reaction tanks is pumped to the filtration stage.
The filtration stage consists of two membrane filters – one in operation and one on standby.
Each filter press is equipped with a total of 155 polypropylene (PP) filter plates.
The mass flow rate of each filter press is 203 t/h, with a solid concentration of 0.6%.
The filtration area per chamber is 3.66 m虏, giving a total filtration area of 564 m虏 per filter press. The target cake thickness before squeezing is 35 mm The total wet cake volume per filter press is 8.9 m鲁.
Dle Plant Process Overview
Boron, Calcium, Magnesium Exchange (IX)
The polishing step consists of a two-stage ion exchange (IX) system. The first stage removes residual calcium and magnesium from the brine solution. The second stage performs boron ion exchange for further purification.
Each IX stage consists of three columns operating in a lead鈥� lag and regeneration configuration. The columns are constructed from fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP).
The IX stages are provided as a full turnkey solution, designed for plug-and-play operation. Each stage is supplied with online regeneration support system.
Dle Plant Process Overview
Brine Evaporator
The brine evaporation stage consists of two falling-film evaporators and a sodium chloride crystallizer. The system includes two standalone brine evaporator stages, each capable of handling a feed flow rate of ~190 m鲁/hr with output capacity of 22,500 tpa of LCE.
The stage also includes two pusher centrifuge systems for the separation and removal of sodium chloride crystals. Centrifuges are designed for a total solids throughput (dry basis) of 9.18 t/h.
Economic, Environmental & Community Impact
| Lowest CapEX & OpEX | Industry-Leading Efficiency | Unmatched Cost Efficiency Across the Industry |
| 100k+ Acres | Rich Lithium Resources | Lithium concentrations ranging from 300 to 1,150 mg/L |
| 3rd Party Verified | Trusted Data Integrity | Independent validation of resource estimates and engineering ensures reliable and accurate results |
| 52K Tonnes/Year | Tier 1 Capacity | Output targets place Project Black Giant鈩� among industry leaders for production capacity |
| Pledge | Zero Water Extraction | Our process uses no water from or around the salar 鈥� a critical promise to the local Indigenous community |
| Benefits | Powered By The Sun | Nearly 80% of our operations run on solar energy, dramatically reducing our carbon footprint and proving that clean energy can power industry at scale |