Captura and ElectraLith are combining their extraction and refining technologies in two pilot plants aimed at supplying growing US demand for lithium more efficiently.
The partnership will integrate Captura’s bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED) stacks with ElectraLith’s direct lithium extraction and refining technology, known as DLE-R. ElectraLith received stacks for the two commercial-scale pilot plants in June.
“ElectraLith’s partnership with Captura combines two industry pioneers taking on climate change, one of the greatest challenges of our generation,” Charlie McGill, CEO of ElectraLith said.
With increased lithium demand in the US for electrification of transportation, energy storage and grid infrastructure, the partnership comes with the goal of accelerating the development of lower-impact and lower-cost technologies to support the energy transition.
Cleaner process
Captura’s electrochemical platform uses its proprietary BMED technology to separate and convert materials while reducing energy consumption and capital costs. Under the agreement, ElectraLith will obtain BMED stacks from Captura over an initial five-year period.
ElectraLith’s DLE-R technology is designed to extract and refine lithium from a range of resources and produce battery-grade lithium hydroxide or carbonate at purity levels above 99.5%.
“It validates the strength of our proprietary membrane technology and demonstrates the value of combining our teams’ complementary expertise and technologies to develop a differentiated solution for the lithium market,” Christene Banda, Chief Operating Officer of Captura said.
The two pilot plants will provide an early test of how effectively the combined technologies can operate at commercial scale, with their planned commissioning in early 2027 marking the partnership’s next major milestone.
