Funding will support the project team's small-scale research and development of a cost-effective, electrified method of extracting lithium from low-grade U.S. brines and converting it to battery-grade materials.
Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance
July 21, 2026
Estimated Read Time min
Funding will support the project team's small-scale research and development of a cost-effective, electrified method of extracting lithium from low-grade U.S. brines and converting it to battery-grade materials. Specifically, the project team will
- identify a site to locate manufacturing facility for lithium extraction pilot plant components,
- design, manufacture, test, and validate components for pilot plant,
- develop final pilot plant design,
- procure materials and construct pilot plant,
- install pilot plant at lithium brine extraction site,
- commission pilot plant, test and validate initial lithium production from facility outputs to meet predetermined metrics
- convert lithium output for use in batteries, test and validate to meet battery-grade specifications,
- continue plant production to meet full-capacity lithium output metrics, and
- prepare next steps to develop a full-scale production facility.
If successful, this project will result in an effective and economical process for lithium recovery and production for use in energy storage, ultimately reducing dependence on foreign mineral and energy imports, and thereby strengthening the U.S. critical mineral and energy supply.