Strategic Asset Leasing Inc (LEAS)

[Undercooked Falafel]

DD on MMTE, Lithium, Chile, Atacama Desert

MMTE Management

Mr. William Lieberman
Chief Executive Officer and President

Mr. Lieberman is the former President of Trilliant Exploration Corp., a gold mining operation with assets in southern Ecuador and nearly 200 employees in full scale mining production with reserves of nearly 1.2 million oz. He worked closely and was intimately involved in all stages of financing and development of Trilliant Exploration and his efforts resulted in the closing of nearly $3 MM venture capital and private equity investment. Beginning in 2005, Mr. Lieberman served as Vice President of Resource Polymers, Inc of Toronto, Canada. Mr. Lieberman holds a Masters in Business Administration from Hult International Business School, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Western Ontario. He is fluent in Spanish and has worked in Ecuador, Costa Rica, The Bahamas, Germany, the Czech Republic, Romania and Mexico as a former international journalist.

Samir Ahshrup
Secretary and Chief Operating Officer

Mr. Ahshrup a native of Malaysia is experienced in energy, government and the telecommunications industries. Working internationally his expertise has lied in strategy formulation and program implementation through out Fortune 500 firms. He began his career with the consulting company Traderoof and in 2005 he joined the Computer Science Corporation, in which he led the consulting team that designed Maybank’s online cash management system in Malaysia. Mr. Ahshrup has also worked as a Product Manager at Siemens and has consulted at PA Consulting Group, in Boston, MA. Throughout 2008 and 2009, he was involved in writing and successfully prepared a case to secure over $70 Million in clean energy stimulus funds for the state of Massachusetts from the federal government. Mr. Ahshrup graduated with a Masters in Business Administration from the Hult International School of Business Administration with honors and holds an Engineering Degree from the University Putra Malaysian in Computer and Communications Systems. He is fluent in Malay, English, Indonesian, Hindi and Punjab.

http://www.mammothenergygroup.com/management-team.html




MMTE May 18, 2010 PR

Mammoth Energy Group Announces It Is in Final Discussions. Due Diligence Currently Under Way for Lithium Concessions

Mammoth Energy Group Inc. (PINKSHEETS: MMTE) announced today that it is in final discussions with Salt Gold Inter Chile Limitada, of Chile, regarding its Lithium concessions.
Salt Gold Inter Chile Limitada currently operates in the North West region of the country located in the heart of the Atacama Desert.

"We are moving along diligently and as quickly as possible," announced Mr. William Lieberman, President of Mammoth Energy Group.

About Mammoth Energy Group Inc. (PINKSHEETS: MMTE) www.mammothenergygroup.com





Atacama Desert

The Salar de Atacama or Atacama Salt Flats, located 55 kilometers north of the popular tourist town of San Pedro is not only the largest in the world; it is also where 40% of the world’s reserves are found of a mineral that is key for technological development: lithium. The reason is that whereas before, batteries were fabricated with nickel cadmium, today lithium has positioned itself as a much cleaner, more efficient alternative.

With the explosive growth of the cell phone and portable computer markets, the demand for lithium has also grown exponentially. Despite the fact that it is not yet being traded in financial markets as other raw materials, lithium carbonate (the chemical salt derived from lithium that is most actively traded in world markets) doubled its price in 2009, moving up to US$7,000/ton.

“Chile, and particularly Salar de Atacama, has the largest reserves of lithium in the world, estimated at 40 million tons of lithium carbonate out of a total of 100 million tons worldwide,” explained Andrés Yaksic, Marketing Manager of SQM, a Chilean company producing nearly 40,000 tons of the mineral in northern Chile.





Chile’s Market Edge
However, aside from having this resource, Chile has a long mining tradition (the country is the world’s number one copper producer), as well as the infrastructure needed to develop the lithium industry. Yaksic assured us that thanks to Atacama’s climatic conditions, solar energy is the primary energy source for the process of refining lithium concentrate, making its production a much more sustainable process.

“Lithium is used most of all for manufacturing rechargeable batteries for portable devices such as laptops, cell phones and iPods – 27% of production is aimed at this industry – and also for the process of glass production,” Yaksic explained.

In recent years, it has been estimated that lithium production for battery manufacturers has been growing by 20% yearly, with Mitsubishi forecasting ratcheted demand levels for the next 10 years. Moreover, according to the US Department of the Interior’s US Minerals Yearbook, lithium’s natural properties make it a more attractive material for batteries. “Lithium batteries have enormous potential for sustained growth,” the study points out. “Despite the fact that there are still some aspects that need to be resolved, new technologies involving lithium are currently being developed. Its use could generate a tremendous growth in demand.”

Indeed, car manufacturers such as Toyota, GM, Mercedes Benz and BMW are already using lithium in their hybrid models, while other companies such as Volkswagen, Nissan-Renault and Mitsubishi itself have announced they will also implement it in their vehicles.





CBS News Report on Lithium 2010 - Visit to Chile, Argentina, Bolivia (Atacama Desert)

"Richest deposits of ideal conditions" per video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ59WHzU9Lc





Atacama Desert Map







Lithium in Chile - EXCELLENT article on Atacama Desert

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500803_162-5298671-500803.html

(CBS)Believe it or not, there's a place on the planet that sees one inch of rain every thirteen years. It's a desert in Chile called Salar de Atacama. It's the driest place on earth – a fact even introduced once on "Jeopardy" -- but for producers of lithium, this desert is one of the richest. Above ground is a vast wasteland of dried clumps of clay, some the size of a child's bicycle. Nothing grows out here. Below ground, though, is a different story.

"This is the best place on earth," Ron France told me in the middle of the desert. Neither of us could have traveled to many places that were more remote. France is president of Chemetall, an American company that produces lithium. Lithium is the world's lightest metal, and the energy source in the batteries of cell phones, laptops and Blackberrys.

Snow melts off the nearby Andes mountains and is trapped underground is this closed basin. One-hundred thirty feet below the surface, the water gathers in salt water brines. Chemetall, France's company, pumps the brine above ground into a series of ponds. In a process that lasts eighteen months, the desert sun evaporates out other salts. The beauty is that the sun does almost all the work. What's left is lithium brine, which is shipped to a nearby factory for processing into lithium carbonate powder and shipped to battery-makers, mostly in Asia.

Demand for lithium is about to soar. This fall, Mercedes will introduce into showrooms its first plug-in hybrid car. Its power will come from a lithium ion battery and the lithium alone in that battery will weigh twenty pounds. (The lithium in a cell phone weighs one-tenth of an ounce.) A half-dozen other carmakers have plans for their own plug-in models, powered by lithium. Chevy claims its new Volt will get at least 250 miles per gallon.

Three major companies dominate the world's lithium market. The metal itself is produced in only a half-dozen countries, including a small site in Nevada, but half the world's lithium comes from the Salar de Atacama. That's why Ron France thinks of this remote place in Chile as the best on earth.

So remember the Salar de Atacama. If plug-in hybrid cars catch on, the focus of America's energy policy could start to shift away from OPEC pipelines in the Middle East to lithium brine pools and Chile. And you never know when the name might come in handy as an answer on a "Jeopardy" re-run."





Lithium-A Mineral that can save the planet - Lithium

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCetmbHgl9I





Lithium - Atomic Number: 3

Symbol: Li

Atomic Weight: 6.941

Discovery: 1817, Arfvedson (Sweden)

Electron Configuration: [He]2s1

Word Origin Greek: lithos, stone

Properties: Lithium has a melting point of 180.54°C, boiling point of 1342°C, specific gravity of 0.534 (20°C), and valence of 1. It is the lightest of the metals, with a density approximately half that of water. Under ordinary conditions, lithium is the least dense of the solid elements. It has the highest specific heat of any solid element. Metallic lithium is silvery in appearance. It reacts with water, but not as vigorously as does sodium. Lithium imparts a crimson color to flame, although the metal itself burns a bright white. Lithium is corrosive and requires special handling. Elemental lithium is extremely flammable.

Uses: Lithium is used in heat transfer applications. It is used as an alloying agent, in synthesizing organic compounds, and is added to glasses and ceramics. Its high electrochemical potential makes it useful for battery anodes. Lithium chloride and lithium bromide are highly hygroscopic, so are used as drying agents. Lithium stearate is used as a high-temperature lubricant. Lithium has medical applications, as well.

Sources: Lithium does not occur free in nature. It is found in small amounts in practically all igneous rocks and in the waters of mineral springs. The minerals that contain lithium include lepidolite, petalite, amblygonite, and spodumene. Lithium metal is produced electrolytically from the fused chloride.

Element Classification: Alkali Metal

Density (g/cc): 0.534

Appearance: soft, silvery-white metal

Atomic Radius (pm): 155

Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 13.1

Covalent Radius (pm): 163

Ionic Radius: 68 (+1e)

Specific Heat (@20°C J/g mol): 3.489

Fusion Heat (kJ/mol): 2.89

Evaporation Heat (kJ/mol): 148

Debye Temperature (°K): 400.00

Pauling Negativity Number: 0.98

First Ionizing Energy (kJ/mol): 519.9

Oxidation States: 1

Lattice Structure: Body-Centered Cubic

Lattice Constant (Å): 3.490

Magnetic Ordering: paramagnetic

Electrical Resistivity (20°C): 92.8 nO·m

Thermal Conductivity (300 K): 84.8 W·m-1·K-1

Thermal Expansion (25°C): 46 µm·m-1·K-1

Speed of Sound (thin rod) (20°C): 6000 m/s

Young's Modulus: 4.9 GPa

Shear Modulus: 4.2 GPa

Bulk Modulus: 11 GPa

Mohs Hardness: 0.6

CAS Registry Number: 7439-93-2

References: Los Alamos National Laboratory (2001), Crescent Chemical Company (2001), Lange's Handbook of Chemistry (1952)





Is Lithium the New Oil?
Categories: Biofuel
Tags: lithium

That's the conclusion of a white paper released by Shanghai-based SinoLatin Capital, a merchant bank focused on cross-border transactions between China and Latin America. The explosive global demand for lithium will lead to a surge in acquisitions by Chinese firms in Latin America, it says.

Lithium is a key ingredient in a majority of consumer devices, including cell phones, laptops, cameras, and PDAs due to its ability to store energy. As the world's major economies race to develop better hybrid or electric vehicles to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and combat climate change, countries with significant lithium deposits will become extremely important, asserts the report.

The white paper describes South America's "lithium triangle," Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile, where 70 to 75 percent of the world's salt-lake lithium deposits are found.

http://www.goodcleantech.com/2010/03/is_lithium_the_new_oil.php





Is Lithium the new Oil? (Same title, different article)
Monday, 25 May 2009
New vehicle emission standards will likely be a boon for everything from aluminum to new plastics, but the producers of lithium -- a mineral used in batteries that power new generation vehicles -- could be the big winners.




But while the few public companies that mine lithium will likely see surging revenue, they will also face the pressure that comes with all booms -- making supply meet ever-tightening availability.

Companies that mine lithium should see a long-term boost to their business, analysts said, although there are questions about whether there is enough lithium for all customers.

And some energy experts see the irony in lithium batteries replacing carbon-burning gasoline, since they believe

exploiting lithium could be just as destructive to the environment as pollution.

Lithium is generally mined from rock, but it can also be found in deposits in brine ponds. It comes mostly from one region -- the Andes mountains of Chile, Argentina and Bolivia, with some deposits in China. Chile's SQM is the world's largest producer, along with U.S. specialty chemical companies Rockwood Holdings Inc and FMC Corp.

There are enormous possibilities for profit.

"We are ready and able to expand production," said Tim McKenna, a Rockwood spokesman. "In fact, in the last 18 months, we completed capacity expansion of our Chile operations to keep pace with expected demand from the auto industry."


McKenna said the auto industry is not likely to bring lithium-powered cars to the wider market much before 2011, although the Mercedes S-class is expected to be the first lithium/hybrid car on the market late this year.

Rockwood, through its German subsidiary, Chemetall, produces lithium from brine lakes at Santiago Salar de Atacama in Chile and from a mine in Silver Peak, Nevada.

Chemetall has a 50 percent share of the global market for lithium and 30 percent for lithium carbonate, which is used for battery manufacture. It produced 27,000 tons of lithium last year and is increasing production to about 33,000 tons next year and 40,000 tons by 2015. Current global demand is 16,000 tons per year, or 84,000 tons of lithium carbonate.

WASHINGTON WEIGHS IN

This week, the Obama administration announced new vehicle emission standards that come into effect by 2016 and the rules are seen as favoring hybrid and electric vehicles.

Analyst David Begleiter, of Deutsche Bank North America, said lithium for use in all kinds of batteries -- auto, laptop and other consumer products -- accounted for about one-third of Rockwood's $3.4 billion revenue last year.

"There is no question (new emission regulations) will be very beneficial for Rockwood, although it depends on what happens with EHV (Electric Hybrid Vehicle) production increases and lithium carbonate pricing. But they all suggest material benefits for Rockwood."

http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/6848/49/




Lithium: the ‘new oil’

http://www.jdsupra.com/post/documentViewer.aspx?fid=aa823cc1-9e2f-4a4c-a4c8-8d1fc7437661

Contributor: Michael Diaz Jr. - Diaz Reus International Law Firm SUMMARY: China is the world's leading producer of consumer electronic appliances, including laptop computers, mobile phones and cameras. China also boasts the world's largest market for automobiles, including electric cars. So, how will these new appliances, large and small, be powered? In recent years, lithium has emerged as the "new oil," and today lithium is playing a central role in the switch to battery-powered alternatives to fossil fuels.


Lithium is the lightest metal and the least dense solid. It is typically extracted from beneath salt flats. Although China has a domestic reserve of lithium in its western Qinghai province and Tibet region, the soaring demand for consumer electronics, hybrid vehicles and electric cars has forced China to look beyond its borders for additional supplies. As a result, Chinese investors have cast their eyes towards Latin American countries where over 70% of the world's salt lake lithium deposits are found.





Is Lithium the 21st Century's Oil?

What is Lithium?

http://seekingalpha.com/instablog/462107-erik-bethel/55904-is-lithium-the-21st-century-s-oil-part-2

Lithium is considered the lightest solid element on earth. It is a highly reactive silvery metal and quickly tarnishes in air after just a few minutes. Due to its high reactivity, it only appears naturally in the form of compounds. The first lithium compound discovered was Petalite (lithium aluminum silicate) by a Brazilian chemist named José Bonifácio de Andrade e Silva in 1800. Several years later in 1817, pure lithium was extracted from Petalite by Johan August Arfwedson.

For a long period of time, lithium was considered not much more than a laboratory curiosity. But Over the years, lithium’s commercial applications have expanded tremendously. First, the pharmaceuticals industry discovered that lithium had properties that affected brain chemistry (i.e. mood stabilizers used to treat bi-polar disorder). And later, lithium was discovered to have ideal qualities for laptop, camera, and mobile phone batteries. In the coming years lithium will have a significant global impact as hybrid and electrical vehicles switch to lithium-ion technology.

Lithium occurs in a number of rock minerals, but the lithium used in batteries is commonly obtained from brine deposits (i.e. dry salt lakes).




Where is Lithium Found?

There are two major types of lithium deposits: (a) Spodumene - a hard silicate mineral (i.e. glass), and (2) Brine Salt Lake Deposits – dry salt lakes containing lithium chloride (in South America these are called “salares”). Today, most of the world’s lithium comes from dry salt lakes because these deposits are more economically viable for making Li-Ion batteries. These lakes result when pools of salt water containing lithium chloride (LiCl) accumulate in places lacking drainage. Over the centuries the water evaporates leaving a dense layer of salt behind. Underneath the salt crust is a layer of brine — salty groundwater with a high concentration of lithium chloride. It is this brine that is pumped out and converted to lithium.

An estimated 70-75% of the world’s salt lake lithium deposits are found in South America. Chile is the world’s largest producer — not only because Chile already has highly developed mining, transport and processing infrastructure, but also because its climate and geography is favorable for the optimal solar evaporation that is central to producing lithium. Neighboring Bolivia purportedly has the largest known reserves but it does not currently produce any lithium.






Until 1997, most lithium carbonate was made from Spodumene, a silicate that is compound of lithium and aluminum. In order to make lithium chloride from Spodumene, it must be first ground to a powder, calcinated at 1100 degrees Celsius, treated with sulfuric acid at 250 degrees C, put in a solvent to extract lithium sulfate, put in a separator to extract aluminum sulfate, and finally the lithium is precipitated out using soda ash. By comparison, the extraction from a salt lake is relatively simple and therefore considerably more economical and viable.

Is Spodumene irrelevant? No, because Spodumene still has characteristics that make it quite suitable for certain types of glass and high-temperature ceramics.

Commercial lithium deposits are found along high-altitude belts in the earth’s desert regions. Most of them are in South America where the salt lakes are known as salares. According to industry experts, South American salares in three countries alone (Bolivia, Chile and Argentina) hold 70-75% of the world’s global lithium reserves. Information on some of the major South American salares is provided below.



Argentina: Salar de Hombre Muerto – Owned by FMC Lithium (NYSE: FMC), a New York Stock Exchange-listed firm with a stock market value of US$4 billion. Hombre Muerto which literally translates as “Dead Man” is located in the remote north of Catamarca Province, 4,000 meters above sea level.

· Reserves: 360,000-400,000 tons at 0-30 meters of depth; 850,000 tons at 0-70 meters of depth with brine grades of 0.062%

· 100% of the production is for export. The product is transported by rail to Antofagasta (Chile) where it is exported

· Neighboring Salar de Olaroz is being developed by Australian-listed Orocobre (ASX: ORE). Bankable Feasibility study expected in 2010

· Salar de Rincon was being developed by Australian-listed Admiralty Resources (ASX: ADY) but they sold it to the Sentient Group, a natural resources-focused private equity fund



Bolivia: Salar de Uyuni - It is located in the Potosí and Oruro departments in SW Bolivia 3,650 meters high. It purportedly holds half of the world's reserves of lithium. There is currently no mining plant at the site and the Bolivian government doesn't want to allow exploitation by foreign corporations. Instead it intends to build its own pilot plant.

· Reserves: 5,400,000 tons (different estimates suggest 9 million tons)

· Comibol (Bolivian State Mining Company) is investing roughly US$6 million in a small plant near the village of Río Grande on the edge of Salar de Uyuni, where it hopes to begin Bolivia’s first industrial-scale effort to mine lithium

· In early February 2010 the Bolivian government created “Empresa Nacional de Evaporíticos,” a national entity responsible for the development of the lithium, boron, phosphates and potash

· Indigenous groups near the Salar de Uyuni are pushing the government to grant them total or partial ownership of the lithium in the area. The new Constitution that Bolivia just passed in January 2009 could grant the demands of the indigenous groups. One clause could give the indigenous group control over the natural resources in their territory, strengthening their ability to win concessions from the authorities and private companies, or even block mining projects. Yet none of this has discouraged foreign enterprises from attempting to gain access to Uyuni’s lithium.

· Assuming Uyuni began operating, it could take as long as 5 years before the lithium carbonate would hit the market

· Other than Uyuni there are many other much smaller salt lakes in Bolivia in which the government has little involvement. These opportunities are being developed by private mining companies such as New World Resources



Chile: Salar de Atacama - is the largest salt flat in Chile. It is located south of San Pedro de Atacama, is surrounded by mountains. The Salar de Atacama contains one of the largest and best quality reserves of lithium-brine in the world with high concentrations of potassium, lithium and boron. A US Geological survey estimate pegs the reserve base of the Salar de Atacama to be around 3MM tons while the Chilean State mining agency (CORFO) estimates it to be 4.5MM tons.

· There is some friction between the local communities and the mining companies over water rights. Mining already consumes 65% of the limited water in the Salar de Atacama region

· The largest lithium chloride producer in Chile is SQM, a US$10 billion stock market value firm listed on the New York Stock Exchange

· Environmentalists are also concerned about the unique flora and fauna of the region, including damage to the habitat of the famous pink flamingoes

· SQM only employs several hundred people at the evaporation plant. Therefore, an expansion in lithium production will not bring great employment benefits to the region, adding to the complexities of balancing growth and the environment






Where will the lithium come from?

As electricity starts to replace gasoline in America the country could very well be running the risk of replacing it's dependence on foreign oil for a dependence on foreign lithium or foreign produced lithium cells.

"We cannot allow ourselves to become dependent on foreign sources of lithium-ion battery cells (or lithium itself) as we have become dependent on petroleum from the Middle East," National Alliance for Advanced Transportation Battery Cell Manufacture's Attorney James Greenberger.

- According to the USGS, overall demand for lithium is growing at a rate of 4-5% per year

- Demand for lithium destined for battery usage is predicted to grow by 20% per year

- Over 60% of mobile phones and 90% of laptop computers feature Lithium Ion batteries

- The worldwide market for rechargeable lithium batteries is estimated to be worth over $4 billion/year

- The automotive market alone is projected to reach $337 million in 2012, and $1.6 billion in 2015

The U.S. contains approximately three percent of the world's Lithium reserves. Presently Chile provides 61 percent of lithium exports to the U.S. and Argentina is the source of 36 percent. Bolivia, at an estimated fifty percent of world supply, has by far, the largest lithium deposits of any country.

President Evo Morales has already nationalized the oil and natural gas industries and now a growing nationalist movement could prompt the head of state to do the same with the lithium fields. "The previous imperialist model of exploitation of our natural resources will never be repeated in Bolivia. Maybe there could be the possibility of foreigners accepted as minority partners, or better yet, as our clients, " head of lithium extraction Saul Villegas

http://www.aheadoftheherd.com/Newsle...try%20Risk.htm

Lithium is not traded publicly, instead it's sold directly to end users for a negotiated price per ton or pound of Lithium carbonate (Li2CO3). High demand and low supply has recently caused reported paid end user prices to reach US $6,600.00 ton.

But right now price isn't the issue, rather the issue is one of supply. Demand for lithium is increasing and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. anticipates that demand will increase fivefold to meet the needs of electric vehicles. At present, demand in North America is about 100,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent.

There's one unit of lithium in a cell phone battery, 3,000 units in a hybrid car and 7,000 units in an electric car; the numbers work out to 9 to 30 kilograms of lithium oxide per car battery. One of President Obama's goals is 1,000,000 built in America hybrid cars on American roads by 2015. The automotive industry needs a secure uninterrupted supply of lithium to ramp up its production of the next generation of hybrid electric vehicles using lithium-ion batteries.