re: Diving deeper on Standard Lithium?

"Hey Mintakinator, did you see your email? We just got accepted at another conference! That sweet sweet per diem. Cheers boys!"

Labatt Blue, eh?

Just got $3,369 on my full paid lending the lion's share of it SLI. Nice Friday afternoon surprise. Etrade usually doesn't pony up until the 7th or 8th.

Been considering something about Exxon entering the area.

If lithium becomes a commodity chemical, like gas, it could go into the open lithium market with all other producers, as long as it met the general specification. In that sense, there is room for smaller manufacturers. The only thing affecting them would be controlling their own costs. Maybe this is why Placid can operate a tiny refinery across the river from Exxon BR. Doesn't matter who makes it. It just goes into a tank farm and then to gas stations.

But because of the promise of extracting lithium using proprietary technology, it has the specialty chemical feel, at. least until the technology becomes standardized. Sort of like what membrane electrochemical cells were to chlorine when they first came out. Now membrane cells are the technology of choice. You just have to pick your technology supplier. Diaphragm and mercury cells are dinosaurs. Chlorine is a commodity.

So for the short term, a company with massive resources like Exxon just has to have the technology and be first to market. If they can get the off take partners solidified, does anyone else really have a chance, locally? All things being equal, why would a lithium buyer choose SLI over Exxon? Exxon will surely outproduce anyone else. They'll have the means to build infrastructure that others couldnt afford.

I find it almost impossible that Exxon hasn't been in touch with SLI about their technology. SLI has done the hard work and demonstrated it for years as far as we know. Their tech is suited for the brine that Exxon now has as a feedstock. Could Exxon do what SLI has done in a shorter time? Are they willing to gamble on other technologies or develop their own and waste time getting it to production? Why havent we heard any rumors of this? Does the DFS completely change if there was a possible buyout? Of course it does.

Im pretty puckered up about this since the deadline was missed. Dont know if I should get out now or hold off for something possibly great.

ETA Exxon doesnt have the same feedstock that SLI does. SLI has tail brine that has been treated in some way through Lanxess. Im sure thats a crucial step to the Lanxess brine and affects the exchange technology. But SLI will have to deal with raw brine at some point which should be close what Exxon would use

Any rumors?

How long does it take for something to become a commodity? After one or two rounds of offtake agreements? If SLI's demand forecast is to be taken seriously...

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All things being equal, why would a lithium buyer choose SLI over Exxon?

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I'm not sure SLI would be stuck without a buyer for the first two projects since Lanxess has the right to buy the LanxProject lithium at like a 20% discount and Koch Minerals probably has a sweet deal for SWA offtake. Who knows what will come of the East Texas expansion.

I feel uneasy about the study delays but am having a hard time articulating the bear/bull case for them. Anybody?

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But SLI will have to deal with raw brine at some point which should be close what Exxon would use

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In the SWA Project right? It hadn't really crossed my mind that the two projects' brines will be different. Wonder how far along they are in testing the unchanged brine.

The brines are similar however SLI is processing the DLE off the tail water from lanxess.

Lanxess is initially processing the brines for bromine I believe then reinjecting the tail water as a waste.

The tail waters are more concentrated and Albemarle should have a similar stream from their magnolia plant.

editing to add from my previous post:

The Lanxess and SW projects are both 30,000 TPY LCE each. Exxon aims to produce 100,000 TPY. So only the SW project brine would probably be comparable to the Exxon brine. The key would be to know that SLI's tech works on the SW brine.

I guess this also comes down to funding the project(s). SLI will have to convince investors to choose them over Exxon. I dont know that Exxon needs to convince anyone if they can come up with a technology that works.

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It will be depressing if Mintak snatches defeat from the jaws of victory.

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You really think Mintak is still running shite? He did go out and get funding from Koch. Nobody had heard of STLHF 3-4 years ago but now they're being mention in the WSJ, Fox business, Cramer etc. South Arkansas is suddenly the potential epicenter of lithium production in the future with the world's largest energy producer trying to get a piece of the pie by leasing up inferior brine for $100 million. Albermarle trying to get back in the game after shitting their pants in DLE and abandoning it. Tetra selling off rights to 27,000 acres so they could come back in later and lease 6,700 later at a much higher price than the peanuts they were paying previously?

SLI and Mintak saw the potential here before anyone else. They have been extracting lithium and gathering data for at least 3 years now, despite COVID shutdowns, border closings and Lanxess shitting the bed as a partner. Their stock price was $.37 March 2020. It was $.51/share when it was first mentioned on this board. Sorry some bought late and didn't take profits when I told them I was. I felt like it was dead money for a couple of years, but still re-invested over $250k the day of Blue Orca attack. In fact, that buy is what sent it back up. Then we had war in the Ukraine, market crash that has been harsh on pre-revenue small caps and Joe fricking Biden.

I think I'll keep riding with the OG's of SLI and wait for the others to pay them a premium for their tech. I think Exxon, Tetra, Albermarle is bluffing and trying to license SLI's tech at a bargain by threatening to develop their own DLE. That's what I'd do.

Don't forget Mintak secretly drilling wells further west that have 3 times the lithium concentration of the best sites here locally. He hasn't been sitting around with his thumb up his arse. One of the founders just bought close to a half million in shares. I think that all bodes well.

For all our sake, I hope you are legit and not some deep undercover pumper.