Gradiant , a global provider of advanced water and wastewater treatment solutions, announces the spin-out of alkaLi, an independent company dedicated to accelerating the scale-up of battery-grade lithium production. alkaLi is powered by EC 2 , the world’s only all-in-one solution designed to Extract, Concentrate and Process Battery-Grade Lithium .
With electric vehicles, energy storage and portable electronics driving global lithium demand, EC 2 provides unprecedented new means for producers to rapidly scale up lithium production. EC 2 offers instantaneous production measured in seconds, not years; reduced costs with 50% lower OPEX and zero CAPEX; industry-leading sustainability with significantly reduced carbon and water footprints; and accelerated permitting to meet global lithium demand. The complete system is balanced, integrated, and scales across a wide range of extraction sources.
alkaLi’s EC 2 is a highly modular three-stage system , adaptable to the widest range of extraction sources to date, including – brines, evaporation and recycling. The technology can be implemented in entire or individual stages, integrated into a plant’s existing infrastructure with the option to scale up production with SmartOps AI . EC 2 has been bench- and field-tested, and has successfully completed a commercial proof-of-concept system with SLB in 2023. alkaLi will continue to offer the flexibility of the commercial model that Gradiant is known for: providing producers with a zero CAPEX option where the company is the manufacturer, owner and operator of the solution.
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“Gradiant’s purpose is to secure water for future generations. With this comes an affinity for holistic environmental solutions beyond water, including the successful electrification of our societies to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels,” said Prakash Govindan, COO of Gradiant. “Demand for lithium is outpacing supply. We need to accelerate the scale of production solutions, which is why we will create alkaLi, a wholly independent company, to maximize the efficiency of battery lithium production.”
alkaLi’s EC 2 solution sets new industry standards for extracting, concentrating and transforming battery lithium with optimized efficiency and sustainability at every stage:
Extraction: Synthesized resins and novel membranes optimize lithium extraction well beyond industry norms, uniquely achieving Generation II levels and the richest possible lithium stream for maximum downstream efficiency. A second Li-lean stream is then released, with each stream arriving at the CFRO units in the Concentration Stage.
Concentration: Powered by Gradiant’s award-winning CFRO to maximize system efficiency, it consumes an order of magnitude less energy than thermal processes.
- CFRO I receives the Li-rich stream and further concentrates to levels sufficient for transformation into battery-grade lithium
- CFRO II receives Li-lean flow and reduces TDS below regulatory limits, enabling accelerated permitting
Transformation: Concentrated lithium is precipitated into a solid to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate (Li 2 CO 3 ) or lithium hydroxide (LiOH).
SOURCE: Businesswire