International Battery Metals Ltd (IBATF)

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I asked Perplexity https://www.perplexity.ai/ who was the furthest along in DLE production in the US. Here's the response:

Based on the search results, the company that appears to be furthest along in Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) production in the USA is International Battery Metals (IBAT). Here's why:
IBAT has recently initiated operations at its commercial proprietary modular DLE plant in Utah. This facility is significant for several reasons:
It's described as the first commercial DLE operation in North America.
The plant is already operational and producing lithium, extracting it from a magnesium chloride/lithium chloride brine.
IBAT is currently supplying lithium chloride to US Magnesium from this facility.
The company's DLE technology offers several advantages:
A reduced timeline of about 18 months from construction to production, compared to the typical 5-7 years for traditional methods.
Potentially lower capital and operational expenditures compared to industry standards.
A small footprint, occupying only about one acre.
IBAT is now focusing on enhancing production by adding more columns to their existing DLE modular platform to increase capacity.
While other companies like Lilac Solutions and EnergySource Minerals are also making progress with DLE technology in the USA, they appear to be at earlier stages. For instance, Lilac Solutions is constructing a demonstration plant in Utah expected to begin operating in mid-2024, with plans to scale up to 5,000 metric tons in the next three years. However, IBAT's plant is already operational and producing lithium, putting them ahead in terms of actual production.