The global demand for lithium batteries has led to increased activities in the exploration and production of lithium from various resources. Arizona Lithium (AZL) Limited is a lithium exploration & development company currently exploring and developing two primary projects, The Big Sandy project in Arizona, USA and the Prairie Lithium project in Saskatchewan, Canada. AZL uses conventional oil and gas drilling and completions technologies to produce lithium-rich brine from underground and uses direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology to separate lithium from the brine. DLE is an efficient lithium extraction technology which selectively extracts and concentrates lithium ions from high salinity brines, in the presence of high concentrations of other cations such as sodium, magnesium and calcium. After lithium is extracted, the lithium free brine is injected back to underground disposal formations. Concentrated lithium chloride, a midstream product produced by the DLE, is refined and crystallized to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate. AZL has effectively conducted a DLE process pilot on its brine resources to gather the required feasibility data and reduce the process's risk. Earlier this year, the pilot generated high grade concentrated lithium chloride from AZL's brine deposits. From the lithium chloride generated during the pilot testing, battery grade lithium carbonate has been successfully produced. In the summer of 2024, AZL started drilling three wells at its Pad-1 position in South-East Saskatchewan, and it has successfully finished the process. The fact that AZL has completed these significant projects successfully shows that it is on course to become Saskatchewan's first commercial producer of battery-grade lithium carbonate.
Zach Maurer
Zach has over 10 years of experience in North America’s energy sector. His experience spans production, environmental and hydrogeologic projects in Canada and the United States. In 2019, he founded and incorporated Prairie Lithium. In 2023, he led Prairie Lithium through the acquisition by Arizona Lithium. In 2023, in recognition of his contributions to business in Saskatchewan, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal. He holds a B.Sc. in Geology from the University of Regina and a Diploma in Exploration Information Technology from the South Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT).
