7 ORNL inventions licensed to Texas-based lithium recovery company

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A collection of seven lithium recovery technologies developed by scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been licensed to Element3, a Texas-based company focused on extracting lithium from wastewater produced by the oil and gas production.

The technologies were developed through the Innovation hub for critical materialsa DOE Energy Innovation Hub led by Ames National Laboratory dedicated to accelerating science and technology solutions to ensure secure domestic supply chains for critical minerals and materials.

Lithium-ion batteries power electric vehicles, consumer electronics and defense technologies, as well as providing energy storage for the country's power grid. The global lithium battery market is expected to grow by a factor of 5 to 10 over the next ten years.

“It is critical to the economy and national security of the United States that domestic sources of lithium – both crude and refined – are developed,” said Cynthia Jenks of ORNL, associate laboratory chief in the Physical Sciences Directorate.

As part of DOE's mission to advance clean energy technologies and secure the nation, ORNL conducts research aimed at ensuring a stable domestic supply of critical materials for the electrification of transportation. Learn more about ORNL's lithium recovery research.

Parans Paranthaman, an ORNL Corporate Fellow, has worked for many years research into alternative sources of lithiumsuch as the waste brine generated by geothermal power plants and the tailings of boron mines.

“Less than 2% of our lithium comes from the US and Canada, while demand for lithium batteries for electric cars continues to grow,” he said. “To alleviate supply chain shortages, we need alternative sources of lithium.”

The technologies licensed to Element3 include membrane extraction techniques and new separation methods. The team of inventors behind the technologies includes Ramesh Bhave, Syed Islam, Jayanthi Kumar, Bruce Moyer, Paranthaman and Ilja Popovs of ORNL. Former ORNL scientists Vishwanath Deshmane, Nicholas Linneen, Mary Healy, Tej Lamichhane and Henry Musrock also contributed to the technologies.

“This collection covers the entire direct lithium extraction process and will help bring a real solution to market,” said Hood Whitson, CEO of Element3. “We were attracted to ORNL because Bruce and Parans are true world leaders and fundamental scientists in this field.”

Moyer led CMI's focus on diversifying offerings through new sources and transformative processes. Paranthaman led CMI's project on the extraction and conversion of lithium from brines and minerals.

DOE's Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office sponsored the research behind one of the inventions through the Critical materials: next generation technologies and field validation financing options in 2020.

Jennifer Caldwell negotiated the terms of the licensing agreement. To learn more about available licensing technologies, visit ORNL's Technology Transfer website.

UT-Battelle manages ORNL for the DOE's Office of Science, the largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information please visit energy.gov/science.

Thanks to ORNL.