Step-change for Lithium supply
Lithium startup gets set to scale its sustainable extraction and refining tech.
Could membranes be the key to meeting growing global lithium demand without the environmental fallout?
Lithium is crucial to the clean energy transition, but current extraction methods are, paradoxically, unsustainable.
ElectraLith, a Melbourne-based startup spun out of Monash University in 2022, has developed a way to extract lithium sustainably without using water or chemicals, potentially reducing production costs and also boosting global lithium output.
The method, known as Direct Lithium Extraction and Refining (DLE-R), uses electrodialysis with specialised ion-selective membranes to extract and refine battery-grade lithium hydroxide in a single step.
Demand for lithium is growing in line with rising EV sales and energy storage markets, and it's typically sourced from hard rock extraction or by pumping lithium-rich brines into vast evaporation ponds, consuming large amounts of water and chemicals.
"The Series A funds will enable DLE-R’s rapid development into what we believe will be the cleanest, most versatile, and most cost-efficient method to extract and refine lithium."
While traditional brine extraction uses 2.2 million litres of water per ton of lithium, ElectraLith’s DLE-R, in contrast, uses no water and generates zero carbon emissions.
The technology, though still in the lab, recently passed a proof of concept, demonstrating its capability to extract lithium directly from brine from various sources and locations without water or chemicals. This breakthrough has sparked significant industry interest.
The company has just raised $27.5 million in an oversubscribed Series A funding round to scale up its technology and set up pilot plants to test the process across different brine chemistries, including some currently considered unviable. The funding round, led by Main Sequence, included investments from Rio Tinto, IP Group, and Monash University.
"The Series A funds will enable DLE-R’s rapid development into what we believe will be the cleanest, most versatile, and most cost-efficient method to extract and refine lithium," said ElectraLith CEO Charlie McGill.
"The quality, breadth, and scope of the Series A investor syndicate provide the strongest signal yet of DLE-R’s full potential."
ElectraLith’s DLE-R technology, developed at Monash University’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, offers a cleaner, more cost-efficient method of lithium extraction and refining. The process uses ion-selective membranes and electrodialysis, allowing on-site production of battery-grade lithium hydroxide without additional refining.
