Lithium demand continues to rise as electric cars become more popular, and alkaLi has the supply solution.
According to Interesting Engineering, alkaLi's parent company, Gradiant, has opened up a facility in the Marcellus Shale Formation in Pennsylvania to extract wastewater from oilfields.
Interesting Engineering noted, "the site will be the world's first to extract, concentrate, and convert (EC²) lithium in a fully integrated, end-to-end process from oilfield produced water."
Trials have shown results exceeding industry standards, including 99.5% purity and 97% lithium recovery. The facility is on track to begin commercial operations in early 2026. Additionally, the lithium extraction process involves less energy, less waste, and less water.
alkaLi has already secured a deal for "5,000 metric tons of battery-grade lithium carbonate annually to a U.S. lithium-ion battery manufacturer," per Interesting Engineering.
While EVs are better for the environment than gas-powered vehicles, mining for lithium, a key component in EV batteries, is water-intensive. However, it is still better than powering your car with dirty energy sources, which warms the planet and intensifies extreme weather events.
Fortunately, companies and researchers are trying to solve the lithium mining problem. As well as alkaLi, LevertonHELM and EnBW, a German-British partnership, has discovered it can extract lithium carbonate from brine at a geothermal power plant. The lithium carbonate they extracted was 99.5% pure.
Researchers at Princeton are working on a similar method. They dipped boot lace-sized strings into briny water coated with a water-repelling surface and a water-loving core. The lithium crystallizes on the string. Researchers are calling it a cheaper and easier way to extract lithium.
If lithium extraction becomes cheaper and easier, those savings could be passed down to consumers. Although there is an increasing variety of EV options on the market, the upfront investment can still be steep. However, switching to an EV can lead to annual savings of about $1,500 on gas and maintenance.
According to Interesting Engineering, alkaLi believes it's the "perfect timing" for this lithium extraction method, because as EV and battery storage demand rise, the U.S. wants to secure its own domestic supply.
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