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Brines occur naturally in many environments, and they are increasingly recognized as potential sources of valuable minerals. Underground aquifers can become saline as water slowly dissolves minerals from surrounding rock formations. In the simplest terms, brine refers to water containing a high concentration of dissolved salts. But beneath that straightforward definition lies a complex mixture....Read More→

Toxic Metals and the Modern Food Chain Toxic metals are an invisible hazard woven into the modern food chain. Among the most damaging to human health are lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and chromium. The effects of lead, arsenic, and mercury, were known to the ancients, while the dangers of cadmium and chromium have been realized...Read More→

What Are Critical Minerals and Why Do They Matter? Of the thousands of known mineral species, some are particularly valuable to modern technology—and by extension to modern economies—and are therefore classified as critical minerals. As the name suggests, these minerals are considered to be critical to key industries and national security. Large economies throughout the...Read More→

The Limits of Conventional Cancer Treatments Cancer has been with us since before Homo Sapiens was a species distinct from our predecessors. Indeed, it plagued fish hundreds of millions of years before primates evolved [1]. The first written record of its diagnosis and treatment over four millennia ago involved incising hard tumors that had protruded...Read More→

The water in Bangladesh was dangerous. Collected from rivers and lakes, it often carried diseases like dysentery and cholera, contributing to a mortality rate of 168 in 1,000 in vulnerable populations like infants in 1975 [1]. The fix was simple and fast: drill wells so the water would be clean, free from the bacteria that grew...Read More→

Antimony (Sb) is a critical mineral that gets its name from the Greek words “anti” (against) and “monos” (alone). With a name that means “not alone” it’s no wonder that antimony can be hard to separate from other elements. But obtaining pure antimony is important since it is used in batteries, flame retardants, ammunition, semi-conductors...Read More→

DLP™ is carbon free! IBC’s Direct Lithium to Product® (DLP™) process was recently evaluated by a third party for carbon emissions. Key findings include: 0️⃣The DLP™ process itself emits zero carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e). 🏭CO2e emissions come only from indirect emissions (purchased electricity) and upstream reagent emissions. ⚡With carbon reduction measures, such as purchasing energy...Read More→

IBC is the proud winner of the inaugural Voltas Innovation Award! Presented June 25, 2024 at the Fastmarkets Lithium and Battery Raw Materials Conference in Las Vegas, the Voltas Innovation Award recognizes IBC’s Direct Lithium to Product™ (DLP™) technology as an innovative improvement over current lithium processing technologies due to its increased efficiency and sustainability....Read More→