Energy Exploration Technologies, Inc. (more commonly known as EnergyX) is an American technology company.[1] Founded in 2018 by Teague Egan, it is based out of San Juan, Puerto Rico and has offices and laboratory facilities in Austin, Texas,[2] and operations in the South American Lithium Triangle (Bolivia, Chile and Argentina).[3][4][5][6][7]
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Energy, Lithium mining, Battery Energy Storage |
| Founded | 2018 |
| Founder | Teague Egan |
| Headquarters | |
Key people | Teague Egan(CEO & Chairman) Kris Haber (Vice Chairman) Amit Patwardhan (EVP Tech)(EVP Tech) |
| Products | direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology, solid state battery, Lithium |
| Website | energyx |
The company specializes in development, manufacturing and deployment of lithium mining technology, in particular LiTAS direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology[8][9] and SoLiS solid state lithium metal batteries.[10]
In 2021, EnergyX deployed its first LiTAS plant for operation at Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni location.[11][12]
Overview
editEnergyX was established in 2018 by Teague Egan, son of Michael Egan, the founder and former majority owner of Alamo Rent a Car, who sold it for $625 million in 1996.[3][13]
From the beginning, the startup company has been focused on lithium extraction and recovery technology. It started out as a R&D project based on the technology developed by the Research Center for Materials for Water and Energy Systems (M-WET) at the University of Texas in Austin and directed by the chemical engineer and professor Benny D. Freeman.[5][14][15] In 2019, EnergyX acquired and licensed lithium extraction technology (LiTAS) from the University of Texas and further developed the procedural knowledge of direct lithium extraction (DLE) in its scientific center located in Austin, Texas.[11][5]
In 2021, EnergyX secured $20 million in direct funding that came from Obsidian Acquisition Partners, Helios Capital and a variety of other angels and institutions.[9][16][17][18] The company raised nearly $5 million through crowdfunding.[7]
EnergyX was in the group of eight companies from the United States, Argentina, China and Russia shortlisted by the Bolivian President Luis Arce's government for deployment of direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology at two lithium mining sites of Bolivia - Coipasa in Pastos Grandes and Uyuni salt flats.[19] In December 2021, EnergyX deployed its first plant at Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni.[11][20][21][22] The New York Times called EnergyX an “American Underdog” and noted that " EnergyX was one of two from the United States among the eight contenders to develop Bolivia’s lithium reserves.[3]
In 2024, they raised $75 million at a mom-and-pop fundraising event.[13]
Technology
editThe company develops direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology based on proprietary LiTAS method. The method includes filtering of the brine that contains lithium through a series of selective membranes, separating various types of salts, such as magnesium, sodium, potassium, sulfate and other chemicals from lithium.[5][23]
According to The Chemical Engineer: "In the last years, the company moved from the metal-organic framework system (MOF) originally developed at the University of Texas[8] to non-MOF membranes technology developed by the company's scientific labs. The first step in EnergyX’s process uses its Lithium-Ion Transport and Separation (LiTAS) electrodialysis technology. LiTAS uses a proprietary ion-exchange membrane to separate out the dissolved lithium ions from the brine solution, which results in lithium being separated from undesired species such as magnesium in the solution. The second step then involves bipolar electrodialysis which splits a salt into its acid and base components. In the case of lithium chloride, it splits into lithium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid."[1]
The lithium separation technology is assembled into processing units, which, in turn, are integrated in large housing containers. The containers are modular, scalable, and transportable and can be used as complementary extracting technology to the traditional mining infrastructure.[4][24]
As of 2024, some in the field are skeptical of their claims, with the founder of another lithium-exploration company stating: "...they are certainly the types of claims that other companies would not put out without publicly available documented engineering and scoping studies.”[13] When another lithium consultant made a social media post stating that EnergyX's popularity had more to do with their marketing than their technology, they sent him a cease-and-desist letter after which he removed the post.[13]
Operations and offices
editEnergyX is headquartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico and has R&D laboratories and pilot facilities in Austin, Texas. In addition, the company has operations in the Lithium Triangle area of Bolivia, Chile and Argentina.[6] In 2021, the company deployed its first plant at Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni in part due to the help of Professor Diego von Vacano of Texas A&M University https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/16/business/energy-environment/bolivia-lithium-electric-cars.html .[25] In 2021, the company announced that it was looking to hire over a hundred employees for the launch of a new Energy Innovation Lab in an American tech hub.[2][26] Possible candidate sites included Boston, Miami, Austin, and Silicon Valley.[26]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Doyle, Amanda (2022-03-17). "Brine to batteries: lithium extraction technology that's sustainable and efficient". The Chemical Engineer.
- ^ a b "EnergyX Is Hiring 100+ as It Looks to Launch a New Tech Hub". Built in Austin.
- ^ a b c Krauss, Clifford (2021-12-16). "Green Energy Race Draws An American Underdog to Bolivian Lithium". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Stringer, David (2020-03-09). "Breakthrough Technique Could Produce Lithium In Hours Not Months". Bloomberg.
- ^ a b c d Casey, Tina (2020-09-19). "With Solid State Energy Storage, Oil-Rich Texas Hits Clean Tech Trifecta". Clean Technica.
- ^ a b Guzman, Andrea (2022-01-07). "EnergyX tour: A look into an Austin startup making lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles". Austonia.
- ^ a b "Startup Sunday: EnergyX aims to cut Li-ion battery costs with a novel technology". PV Magazine. August 2021.
- ^ a b Doyle, Amanda (2019-10-28). "New lithium extraction process could revolutionise energy storage". The Chemical Engineer.
- ^ a b Hawkins, Lori (2021-05-04). "Austin-based EnergyX brings in $20 million for tech development". Austin American Statesman.
- ^ "EnergyX - Energy Exploration Technologies, Inc. - About The Company". EnergyX | Energy Exploration Technologies, Inc. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
- ^ a b c Hall, Heather (2021-12-17). "LiTAS lithium extraction pilot plant deployed to world's largest lithium resource". R&D World.
- ^ "EnergyX lithium extraction pilot plant begins operations in Bolivia". The Rio Times. 17 December 2021.
- ^ a b c d Steinberg, Julie (2024-10-06). "He Wants to Be the Lithium King. Run for President. And Live to 150". Wall Street Journal.
Many analysts and industry participants are skeptical that the technologies can be universally applied, citing the intricate and bespoke challenges of each resource.
- ^ "Center for Materials for Water and Energy Systems". University of Texas in Austin.
- ^ "Startup EnergyX Has Plans To Revolutionize Lithium Production". Forbes.
- ^ "EnergyX hiring in Austin after raising $20M". Austin Business Journal.
- ^ "EnergyX raises $20 million to commercialize more efficient lithium extraction". ImpactAlpha. 3 May 2021.
- ^ "EnergyX raises $20mn for direct lithium extraction tech". Mining Global. 3 May 2021.
- ^ "Bolivia takes another shot at lithium". Argus Media. 16 December 2021.
- ^ "EnergyX LiTAS lithium extraction pilot plant deployed to Bolivia". Global Mining Review. 17 December 2021.
- ^ "An EnergyX lithium extraction pilot plant begins operations in Bolivia (From Spanish: "Comienza a operar en Bolivia una planta piloto de extracción de litio de EnergyX")". PV Magazine. 17 December 2021.
- ^ "EnergyX deploys lithium pilot plant in Bolivia". Mining Magazine. 17 December 2021.
- ^ "EnergyX captures lithium to help power electric cars". Fox11 Los Angeles. 23 November 2021.
- ^ "Direct lithium extraction company EnergyX secures $20M in funding commitments". Green Car Congress.
- ^ "About company". Company's official website.
- ^ a b Ellsmoor, James (15 June 2021). "EnergyX Hiring 100+ People in Energy Tech Expansion". EnergyX | Energy Exploration Technologies, Inc. Retrieved 2022-08-14.