Project Overview
Approved for funding through ERA’s Industrial Transformation Challenge in 2023, Litus successfully deployed a pilot-scale Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) project using its proprietary LiNC process and nanomaterial technology. By project completion in 2025, Litus operated the system under continuous flow conditions, demonstrating strong performance and confirming the scalability of the technology.
Reducing Emissions from Lithium Extraction
Lithium-ion batteries remain the cornerstone of energy storage, yet conventional methods of lithium recovery (such as evaporation ponds and complex chemical precipitation) face significant limitations. These include inefficiency, large land and water requirements, significant emissions from mining and ore processing, and limited applicability to brines with lower lithium concentrations or high impurity levels. In response, Litus has developed the LiNC process. The brine is passed through the system where lithium ions are selectively adsorbed onto the nanomaterial surface. This step captures lithium efficiently while rejecting other ions present in the brine. Continuous monitoring and control systems ensure stable conditions, supporting consistent and reliable performance. Following extraction, the nanomaterial contains the adsorbed lithium and the lithium is recovered by introducing an acidic solution, which triggers an ion-exchange reaction that releases the lithium. At the same time, the nanomaterial is regenerated, enabling reuse across multiple operating cycles. The LiNC process reduces electricity demand through its optimized pumping and automated operation and has a portable, skid-mounted design, reducing infrastructure footprint. At commercial scale, the process has the potential to reduce over 10 tonnes of emissions for every tonne of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) produced, representing a pathway to annual reductions of more than 15,000 tonnes CO2e when fully deployed on commercial scale.
Validating the LiNC Technology
Litus constructed a pilot-scale system designed to replicate the key steps of the commercial LiNC technology in an industrially relevant environment. The unit is built on modular skids, making it portable, enabling rapid deployment to different sites as required. During the project, the pilot consistently achieved lithium extraction and recovery above 99%, with the eluate stream enriched to more than 20 times the lithium concentration of the feed brine while maintaining a small eluate volume. The process showed strong selectivity to lithium, producing a high-purity product stream, while operating with low water, reagent, and power consumption. These outcomes validate LiNC as a cost-effective and sustainable alternative to conventional lithium recovery methods, particularly for low-concentration brine resources. The technology’s skid-mounted, plug-and-play pilot configuration, combined with full automation and remote control, further supports its readiness for deployment and scale-up. The project established a strong foundation for Litus to advance toward commercial readiness, strengthen partnerships, and contribute to building a secure and sustainable lithium supply chain in Alberta, Canada, and globally.
What’s next?
With the project completed in May 2025, Litus has continued moving forward by deploying the pilot unit to the field to further validate its performance under real-world operating conditions. This next step reinforces confidence in the robustness of the technology and supports its readiness for broader commercial application.