Century Lithium Corp. (TSX-V:LCE, OTCQX:CYDVF) told investors it has obtained a provisional patent from the US Patent and Trademark Office covering its proprietary lithium extraction system.
In a statement, the company said the patent titled 'System and Method for Extracting Lithium from Clay and Other Materials in a Chloride Solution Using Individualized Pretreatments' encompasses its flowsheet, developed at its lithium extraction facility in Amargosa Valley in Nevada.
It protects its intellectual property (IP) pertaining to the handling of solutions derived from the treatment of solid materials including clays from its Clayton Valley Lithium Project in Nevada.
"Our system incorporates innovations made during our team's work at the Pilot Plant,” Century Lithium president and CEO Bill Willoughby commented in a statement.
“The provisional patent provides protection of our system and its IP as we move forward with our Feasibility Study.”
The company explained that the patent pending system is based on the extraction of lithium from solids using both products of a chlor-alkali process; hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide. Under the provisional patent, its protected IP includes the method of treating lithium-bearing solids with chloride solution and the handling of solutions, precipitates, and residues, exclusive of a lithium recovery stage (direct lithium extraction) a component process proprietary to Koch Technology Solutions.
Century Lithium is an advanced-stage lithium company, focused on developing its 100%-owned Clayton Valley Lithium project in west-central Nevada, USA.
Contact the author at stephen.gunnion@proactiveinvestors.com