Mandrake Resources has extracted more than 8,000 litres of lithium brine from its Utah project and delivered the bulk sample for testing by Electroflow Technologies. The work moves the project toward scoping studies, but the key evidence on grade, recovery and costs is still to come.
- More than 8,000 litres extracted from Evelyn Chambers #1
- Bulk brine delivered to Electroflow Technologies for DLE appraisal
- Testing aims to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate and lithium iron phosphate
- Purity, recovery and cost data will support future scoping studies
- US$1 million federal grant covered most operating costs
8,000-Litre Brine Sample Delivered for Testing
Mandrake Resources Limited (ASX:MAN) has completed the fieldwork that matters most at this stage of its Utah lithium project: more than 8,000 litres of brine has been extracted from the Evelyn Chambers #1 well and sent to US-based direct lithium extraction provider Electroflow Technologies Inc.
Electroflow plans to test whether Mandrake’s brine can produce battery-grade lithium carbonate and lithium iron phosphate at its Utah demonstration plant. The resulting appraisal is expected to generate purity, recovery and cost data for the scoping studies Mandrake intends to use in assessing the project.
Existing Oil and Gas Perforations Limit the Read-Through
The brine was recovered through existing perforations in the Leadville Formation, the main Mississippian reservoir targeted by Mandrake. Those perforations were originally designed for oil and gas extraction, and the company says they are not optimised for the modelled high-grade lithium concentrations in the formation.
That qualification matters. The completed swabbing operation demonstrates that brine can be recovered from the well, but the announcement does not disclose a lithium grade, impurity profile, recovery rate or product specification. Nor does it provide an economic result from Electroflow’s work.
Federal Grant Covers Most Operation Costs
The US$1 million federal grant awarded by the US Department of Energy to the Paradox Basin Lithium Group covered the majority of the costs associated with the extraction operation. Mandrake says additional brine will be supplied to several other DLE providers, widening the technical appraisal beyond Electroflow.
Mandrake’s 100%-owned Utah Lithium Project spans more than 77,700 acres in south-eastern Utah and carries a maiden inferred resource of 3.3 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent. The company reported A$11.7 million in cash and no debt at June 2026, although the current announcement does not provide an updated balance.
Scoping Studies Depend on the Next Data Release
The next meaningful milestone is not the volume extracted, but what the testing shows about the brine’s chemistry and the DLE pathway’s commercial requirements. Results from Electroflow and the other providers will need to establish whether the resource can produce saleable products at costs that justify more detailed project work.
Bottom Line?
The field sample is now in the hands of DLE specialists, but Mandrake’s project case still depends on unpublished grade, recovery, purity and cost data.
Questions in the middle?
- What lithium concentration and impurity profile will Electroflow identify in the Mandrake brine?
- Can DLE recovery rates and processing costs support a viable scoping study?
- Will brine from perforations optimised for lithium extraction perform differently from this initial sample?