Maastricht, Netherlands, 18 June 2025: Lithium Ark, a lithium technology and project development company with activities in Europe and Chile, has developed a patented circular refining process designed to transform lithium chloride directly into battery-grade lithium hydroxide, while delivering significant reductions in the carbon, water and energy intensity of conventional lithium refining.
The process has been developed to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing lithium refining today, reducing reliance on fresh reagents, lowering carbon emissions, water and energy consumption, and improving lithium recovery.
The technology is designed to deliver up to 89% lower carbon emissions, 75% less water consumption and 49% lower energy use compared with conventional lithium refining, while also reducing operating and capital costs by up to 50% and enabling faster, more scalable deployment.
At the heart of the technology is a circular chemical flow. Lithium chloride (LiCl) is converted into lithium hydroxide (LiOH) using potassium hydroxide (KOH), generating potassium chloride (KCl) as a by-product. Rather than treating this as waste, the KCl can be returned into the process and regenerated into KOH, creating a closed chemical loop that reduces the need for fresh reagents.
This approach has the potential to fundamentally simplify the refining pathway, supporting the production of battery-grade lithium chemicals with a lower environmental footprint and improved economics. The technology also retains the flexibility to produce lithium carbonate (Li₂CO₃) where market conditions or customer requirements demand it.
The technology builds on more than 25 years of hands-on experience in the lithium sector, with experience spanning lithium projects and operations across Chile, Argentina, North America and Asia.
With demand for lithium chemicals continuing to rise alongside the expansion of electric vehicles and energy storage, Lithium Ark believes a new generation of refining technologies will be essential to building a more efficient, lower-carbon and resilient global lithium supply chain.
Peter Ehren, Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer at Lithium Ark, said: “This technology is our answer to some of the fundamental inefficiencies in the conventional lithium refining process. We have designed a process where key chemicals can be continuously recycled rather than consumed and discarded, creating a genuinely circular refining pathway. The potential to reduce emissions by up to 89%, water consumption by 75%, and energy use by 49% demonstrates why we believe a fundamentally different approach to lithium refining is needed.”
ENDS
About Lithium Ark
Lithium Ark is a technology company pioneering a patented lithium refining process that produces battery-grade lithium hydroxide directly from lithium chloride, eliminating the need to produce, transport, and reconvert lithium carbonate, while also having the ability to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate as required. Backed by more than 25 years of hands-on lithium expertise and three international patents, the technology reengineers conventional refining to deliver up to 89% lower carbon emissions, 75% less water consumption, and 49% lower energy use than conventional refining, while reducing costs and enabling faster, more scalable deployment.