BRINE • ARGENTINA
Salar de Olaroz
Technical and process advisory on design, flowsheet validation, and operational parameters for a world-scale brine producer.
LITHIUM PROJECT DUE DILIGENCE
Lithium Project Due Diligence & Technical Assessment
Independent technical insight to identify risks, validate project assumptions and support better investment decisions.
25+ Years in Lithium
|
40+ Projects
|
10+ Countries
Technical Experience Behind Better Decisions
PEC provides technical and environmental consulting for lithium projects, helping investors and mining companies understand the real technical challenges behind an asset.
25+
Years in Lithium
40+
Projects
10+
Countries
15+
DFS & NI 43-101 Reports
QP
Qualified Person Sign-Off
RISK MITIGATION & VALIDATION
A Strong Lithium Story Does Not Always Mean A Strong Project
Project assumptions can hide technical, environmental and economic risks. PEC helps clients evaluate the underlying process, technology, resource and project assumptions before critical decisions are made.
01
Technology Risk
Is the proposed process technically viable and scalable for this specific resource chemistry?
02
Project Risk
Are the engineering assumptions realistic for the resource, location and project stage?
03
Economic Risk
Do CAPEX, OPEX, recovery and process assumptions support the project economics under real operating conditions?
What We Evaluate
Comprehensive, independent technical scrutiny across every critical parameter of a lithium investment thesis.
Resource & Process
Review resource characteristics, chemistry and proposed processing routes.
Technology
Assess technology selection, process configuration and scalability.
Engineering
Review engineering assumptions and project development maturity.
CAPEX & OPEX
Evaluate capital and operating cost assumptions against benchmark realities.
Environmental
Identify relevant environmental, water balance and permitting considerations.
Project Economics
Assess economic assumptions, sensitivities and potential technical risks.
LIFECYCLE COVERAGE
Due Diligence Across The Project Lifecycle
Calibrated technical evaluations structured to meet the specific requirements of each development stage.
STAGE 01
Concept / Scoping
Early technical review and validation of preliminary project assumptions.
STAGE 02
PEA / PFS
Technical assessment of process flowsheets, engineering maturity, and project economics.
STAGE 03
Feasibility
Rigorous audit of technical assumptions, process design, vendor quotes, and execution readiness.
STAGE 04
Investment / Acquisition
Independent technical perspective for investment committees, private equity, and M&A decisions.
CREDIBILITY & GOVERNANCE
Senior Lithium Expertise
PEC takes a senior approach to technical consulting. Projects are supported by experienced specialists who combine deep lithium knowledge with practical experience across complex projects.
25+ Years of Lithium Experience
Decades of direct operational and design leadership across salares and hard rock operations.
40+ Projects in 10+ Countries
Proven track record advising leading producers, explorers, and major institutional investors globally.
Senior Technical Team
Direct engagement with principal engineers—no inexperienced delegators or generic generalists.
Qualified Person (QP)
Qualified Person credentials for NI 43-101, JORC, and SEC S-K 1300 technical compliance.
Independent QP Due Diligence
Peter Ehren | Principal Consultant & Lithium Qualified PersonProviding independent technical opinions trusted by banking syndicates, equity investors, and multinational mining executives. Our evaluations cut through marketing narratives to verify physical mass balances, pilot test data, and engineering veracity.
PROCESS CAPABILITY
Evaluate The Technology — Not Just The Story
PEC has experience across multiple lithium processing routes, including DLE, solar evaporation, spodumene processing, concentration, crystallization and purification technologies.
01 DLE Technologies
Adsorption, ion exchange, solvent extraction, and membrane separation. Assessing selectivity, eluent volumes, and freshwater penalties.
02 Solar Evaporation
Phase chemistry, salt harvesting cycles, pond area sizing, and meteorological yield risk analysis across salar environments.
03 Spodumene Processing
Calcination, decrepitation, acid roasting, and leaching kinetics for hard-rock pegmatite concentrate conversion.
04 Clay & Sedimentary
Acid digestion, thermal roasting, and impurity rejection circuits for complex sedimentary and hectorite deposits.
05 Concentration & Crystallization
Mechanical vapor recompression (MVR), multi-effect evaporation, and fractional crystallization dynamics.
06 Chemical Purification
Ion-exchange polish, carbonation circuits, causticization, and micronization for battery-grade LiOH & Li₂CO₃ specifications.
STRUCTURED METHODOLOGY
Turn Technical Complexity Into Clear Decisions
A systematic 4-step framework designed to deliver transparent risk clarity for investment and technical governance.
01
Understand
Understand the resource characteristics, proposed technology, flowsheet logic, and underlying project assumptions.
02
Evaluate
Assess technical, environmental, mass-balance, and capital cost risks under realistic operational constraints.
03
Identify
Identify critical gaps, technological bottlenecks, scalability hurdles, and project uncertainties early.
04
Decide
Provide the independent technical perspective and clear recommendations needed for defensible decisions.
Experience Across Lithium Projects
PEC has provided strategic and technical consulting across demanding lithium projects and international markets.
BRINE • ARGENTINA
SEDIMENTARY • USA
Rhyolite Ridge
Independent metallurgical and process assessment for a groundbreaking US sedimentary lithium and boric acid project.
HIGH-ALTITUDE • CHILE
Salar de Maricunga
NI 43-101 technical audit, resource chemistry evaluation, and evaporation pilot review for a high-grade Chilean salar asset.
Considering A Lithium Investment?
Get an experienced technical perspective before making a critical project decision.
INDEPENDENT EVALUATION
Discuss Your Lithium Project
Tell us about the asset or project you are evaluating.
Thank You
Our technical team will review your inquiry and get back to you promptly.