Clean water to process lithium in DLE technology is a critical issue. Companies are exploring how best to recover and reuse the water.
This is well known technology. Desalination methods used for sea water can probably be adapted. Plus energy efficient evaporation technology is well developed. Condense the water vapor to collect water.
All it takes is energy. Given what is in the waste water from the process, the questions becomes what is the most cost effective way to recover and reuse this water.
" Some types of DLE technologies, though, require 180 metric tons or more of water to produce a single metric ton of lithium, a usage that has sparked controversy in arid regions seeking to conserve potable water and one that has offset DLE’s purported promise of curbing the mining industry’s large water use."
" Controlled Thermal Resources, which is developing a geothermal lithium project in California’s Salton Sea to supply GM and Stellantis (STLAM.MI), recycles a gallon of water at least eight times and will produce water via steam from its geothermal power process, said CEO Rod Colwell."