Sustainably Powering the Future

Sustainable lithium extraction for a cleaner tomorrow

Leading the charge from brine to battery

Ion Minerals is at the forefront of revolutionizing lithium supply by using more environmentally friendly methods as compared to current mineral extraction techniques.

About

Ion Minerals is an exploration and production (E&P) company focused on the leasing, proving, and development of brine-borne mineral resources in North America

The importance of brine-borne minerals:

Lithium demand is skyrocketing

The Clean Energy Revolution is driving investment in non-traditional, green energy around the world and is, in turn, ramping up demand for the various critical minerals needed for these projects. Using data obtained from the International Energy Agency (IEA), the UN Trade & Development (UNCTAD) projects that lithium demand alone could rise by more than 1,500% between now and 2050. Moreover, Statista is forecasting global demand for lithium in 2030 to surpass 2.4 million metric tons of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE), doubling the demand forecast for 2025. Leading this surge will be increases in battery use for electric vehicles (EVs), with demand expected to reach 3.8Mt by 2035. Lithium is a go-to material for advanced battery manufacturing in the EV space, as it allows for high energy density, and is the lightest metal, thus saving on vehicle weight.

The world’s existing lithium supplies are produced using environmentally harmful practices.

Most of the world’s lithium is currently produced incorporating environmentally harmful practices such as hard rock mining or large-scale evaporation operations, often in sensitive ecosystems. These operations can pose a high risk to the people and animals that inhabit the regions they occupy. Ion’s direct brine extraction approach to resource development employs a significantly smaller footprint than traditional mines. We are able to avoid the use of the immense, hazardous evaporation ponds which are commonplace in the industry, and are able to prevent large-scale consumptive use of precious groundwater resources.

The Clean Energy Revolution’s need for critical minerals creates geopolitical energy insecurity in the United States

Close to 90% of raw Lithium is produced by Australia, Chile, and China. Nearly 100% of refining to battery-grade product happens in China. As a result, North American companies, and ultimately consumers, are subject to geopolitical and economic risk as they participate in the growing green economy.

Technological advances have the potential to unlock large brine-borne resources across North America

Brine mining using Direct Lithium Extraction (known as DLE) is an emerging process for producing battery-grade Lithium from sub-surface brines. Many companies are investing in the development of DLE technology in hopes of providing their process to project developers, like Ion, who are looking to commercialize brine resources. DLE allows for a much smaller footprint (think 10s or 100s of acres versus 10s of thousands) than traditional projects, and is much more environmentally friendly. It also allows for battery-grade product to be produced domestically, eliminating the reliance on China.

Brine mining involves complex development of large, deep, mineral-bearing aquifers.

Exploitation of brine mineral reserves requires more than DLE technology. It requires the development and operation of large-scale saltwater infrastructure moving 10s or even 100s of millions of barrels of water a year. Production wells, reinjection wells, pipeline infrastructure, and processing facilities are all key components of a successful brine-to-battery operation.

ION Minerals uses advanced geological criteria, proprietary data, and experience to identify, lease, and develop brine-borne mineral resources in North America.

We endeavor to make the United States a global leader in the energy transition. We pride ourselves in enhancing American energy security, creating domestic jobs, and protecting the environment while doing so.

Our team understands that every brine resource is unique and has a proven track record to execute across the various project phases from brine-to-battery.

What We Do

EXPLORE

Identify high quality Brine-borne mineral resources

ACQUIRE

Lease & acquire mineral rights in targeted development areas

EVALUATE

Prove economic brine-borne mineral reserves

PRODUCE

Develop resources using environmentally-friendly, cutting edge processes

Leadership

The Ion Minerals team possesses decades of traditional E&P and Water Infrastructure experience, making us a uniquely well-suited player in the burgeoning sector of brine mining.

Justin Love

Chief Executive Officer

JUSTIN LOVE

Chief Executive Officer

Justin Love is the CEO of Ion Minerals, an E&P company focused primarily on development of resources containing brine-borne Lithium. He was previously CEO and now Executive Chairman of Blackbuck Resources, a midstream water infrastructure firm in the Permian Basin, and is president of Love Energy Advisors (LEA), a consulting agency focused on development of early-stage companies. A proven, serial entrepreneur, Justin has successfully built many companies throughout his career.

Love is a seasoned executive with over 16 years of experience in the energy industry. He has been honored with many awards, including the Texas Oil and Gas Awards’ New Technology of the Year 2018 and ACG Houston’s Deal of the Year 2018 & 2020. In its third year of business, he led Blackbuck to being named #289 on the Inc5000 fastest growing private companies in America list and #5 on the Houston Business Journal Fast100 list. Additionally, he was named as Forty Under 40 in Oil & Gas Investors Magazine in 2019.

Love began his career in the energy sector at Schlumberger. He later was instrumental in starting an upstream water business segment for Pentair in his role as Global Market Development Manager. With this experience Love grew to become one of the world’s few experts in the burgeoning field of energy water management.

Love is a widely recognized subject matter expert speaker and has extended his expertise to audiences in over six continents and nearly 30 countries. He looks forward to sharing his wealth of knowledge at
future engagements.

Love graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering where he was inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Alumni in 2023 with the Emerging Leaders Award. He is an outdoor sport enthusiast and enjoys spending time with his family as a father of two.

Barry Riley

EVP Business Development

BARRY RILEY

EVP Business Development

With over 17 years of experience in land, real estate, and asset valuation within the oil and gas sector, Barry Riley brings a wealth of knowledge to his role as Executive Vice President at Ion, where he oversees Land and Business Development functions and leads Government Affairs efforts.

Barry launched his career at ExxonMobil, dedicating eight years to upstream asset valuation across the lower 48 states and internationally. Along with his time at ExxonMobil, Barry’s extensive experience includes six years as the lead Surface Landman in the Delaware Basin for ConocoPhillips, where he managed the Surface Land Team and spearheaded the company’s Land initiative for Water Management. His notable achievements at ConocoPhillips earned him the prestigious SPIRIT Award in 2019 for the Delaware Basin Water Offtake strategy. Most Recently Barry has acted as Senior Vice President of Land and Business development for Blackbuck Resources, a Permian-focused water midstream company.

Barry holds a Master of Land Economics and Real Estate from Texas A&M University, earned in 2006, and a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Sam Houston State University.

Galen Huling

Lead Geologist

Galen Huling

Lead Geologist

Galen Huling, a certified professional geologist, specializes in lithium and oil and gas exploration and development. He has more than 15 years of industry experience and has led and optimized projects in conventional and unconventional resources. Since 2021, Huling has been an independent geologist for Grounded Energy.

He has experience in lithium brine exploration and evaluation, working with companies including Standard Lithium, Cresta Fund Management and Black Stone Minerals.He has identified untapped lithium brine prospects throughout Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Nevada, and Utah. The AAPG featured Huling at its June 2023 webinar “Brine Mining for Lithium: Markets, New Technologies, and the Smackover.”

Prior to his work in lithium, Huling served as a development and operations geologist at ExxonMobil. He demonstrated exceptional skills in risk characterization, integrated planning and geosteering through the successful execution of over 110 new wells. His contributions at ExxonMobil extended beyond operations, as he actively engaged in project management, legislative advocacy and business development.

Huling has a masters degree in geology from Texas Christian University and a bachelors degree in geology from Brigham Young University. He became a certified professional geologist in Texas in 2022. He also speaks Spanish
fluently.

Travis Pace

Advisor

TRAVIS PACE

Advisor

Travis Pace serves as CEO of Fortuna Operating, which manages all non-op funds on behalf of Fortuna and North Hudson. Prior to Fortuna, Mr. Pace founded Corbin Development Group, LLC, a privately held non-op company where he built and led the successful exit of a non-op oil and gas portfolio in the Delaware Basin.

Prior to that, Pace founded a financial and commercial advisory firm for large-scale natural gas infrastructure projects around the world. Pace holds an MBA and BA in English from Texas Tech University, and an MA in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Erika Allgood

Executive Assistant

ERIKA ALLGOOD

Executive Assistant

Erika Allgood has over 12 years of experience in the oil and gas sector, primarily in an administrative/support role. As Head of Office Operations and Executive Assistant, she oversees the day-to-day operations of both our Houston and Midland office. Ms. Allgood has been with BBR since inception, July 2018.

Most recently, Erika served as a QA/QC coordinator for custom Power Control Building manufacturer. Prior to that, she hired on at a filtration and separations company as a receptionist but quickly moved into an inside sales role and then on to the marketing and communications coordinator.

Ms. Allgood enjoys spending time with family and friends, camping, traveling and ASTROS baseball. She also spends time volunteering for a variety of local charities.