RIYADH — Saudi Deputy Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Khalid Al-Mudaifer said Saudi Arabia has successfully extracted lithium from brine samples from fields of state oil giant Aramco and plans to launch a commercial pilot program for direct extraction soon. Lithium Infinity, also known as Lihtec, a startup launched by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), will lead the extraction project in collaboration with Aramco and Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden), he told Reuters. "They are extracting lithium using new technology developed at KAUST, and they are moving quickly on this," he continued. "They are preparing for a pilot commercial project in the oil fields so that the brine solutions coming out of the fields will continuously feed the pilot commercial project," Al-Mudaifer added. Lithium is a key component in batteries for electric cars, laptops and smartphones. Reuters previously reported that the national oil companies of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are planning to extract it from saltwater in their oil fields. Other oil companies, including Exxon Mobil and Occidental Petroleum, are planning to take advantage of new technology to extract lithium from brine in oil fields, as the world seeks to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. Al-Mudaifer said the cost of extracting lithium from saltwater in oil fields is higher than the traditional method of extracting from natural saltwater bodies, but he expected the project to become commercially viable soon if lithium prices rise. In a speech at the World Investment Conference (WIC) held in Riyadh last month, Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef said Saudi Arabia is capable of providing many opportunities in the production of raw materials that can be a full investment, pointing to the importance of securing this field on the regional level. He explained that Saudi Arabia plays an important role on the global level in this matter and there is a vast area in Saudi Arabia that is suitable for mining.
