Challenge

Prior to our laboratory’s development, no methodology for estimating the brine released by pumping a brine-saturated geologic unit was available to lithium mining companies.

Solutions

Our Soil Testing and Research Laboratory developed a rapid screening test for relative brine release capacity (RBRC) using samples from lithium mining sites in the U.S. and abroad. The method was developed in conjunction with the University of New Mexico’s Department of Civil Engineering.

To conduct RBRC testing, laboratory technicians apply a vacuum to the group of saturated samples in a parallel configuration, allowing rapid analysis of 10 samples. The amount of brine produced in response to the vacuum (i.e., RBRC) provides a basis for comparison of the amount of brine produced from different samples. The RBRC is related to the specific yield of a material, a principal function of material texture.

Results

The method has been adopted as the industry standard. Our laboratory has performed over 1,000 RBRC tests for more than 18 major international mining companies.