Gradiant Launches alkaLi, Powered by EC2, the World's Most Efficient Battery-Grade Lithium Production Process
2024年6月24日 - 9:55PM
ビジネスワイヤ(英語)
The Gradiant spin-out will accelerate the
scaling of battery-grade lithium production to meet the global
demand for EVs, energy storage, and portable devices
Gradiant, a global solutions provider for advanced water and
wastewater treatment, announces the spin-out of alkaLi™, a
standalone company dedicated to accelerating the scaling of
battery-grade lithium production. alkaLi is powered by EC2, the
world's only all-in-one solution engineered to Extract, Concentrate
and Convert battery-grade lithium.
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alkaLi is dedicated to accelerating the
scaling of battery-grade lithium production and is powered by EC2,
the world's only all-in-one solution engineered to Extract,
Concentrate and Convert battery-grade lithium. (Graphic: Business
Wire)
With electric vehicles, energy storage systems, and portable
electronic devices driving global demand for lithium, EC2 offers
producers an unprecedented new means to rapidly scale lithium
production. EC2 features instantaneous production measured in
seconds, not years; reduced costs with 50% lower OPEX and zero
CAPEX costs; industry-leading sustainability with significantly
reduced carbon and water footprints; and expedited permitting to
meet the global lithium demand. The complete system is balanced,
integrated, and adapts to a broad range of source inputs.
alkaLi’s EC2 is a highly modular, three-stage system adaptable
to the broadest range of source inputs to date, including – brine,
evaporation, and recycling. The technology can be deployed in full
or standalone stages, integrated with existing site infrastructure
with an option to supercharge production with SmartOps AI. EC2 has
been bench-tested and field-tested, and successfully completed a
commercial proving system with SLB in 2023. alkaLi will continue to
offer the business model flexibility that Gradiant is renowned for:
providing producers with a zero CAPEX option in which the company
builds, owns and operates the solution.
“A clear purpose drives Gradiant, and that is to ensure water
for generations to come. With that comes an affinity for holistic
environmental solutions beyond water, including the successful
electrification of our societies to reduce the burden on fossil
fuels,” said Prakash Govindan, COO of Gradiant. “Demand for lithium
is outstripping supply. We must accelerate the scale of production
solutions, and it is for this reason that we will spin out alkaLi,
a completely independent company with a dedicated focus on
maximizing the production efficiency of battery-grade lithium.”
“Gradiant is different. We're more than a water company; we're a
technology company,” added Siva Kumar Kota, Head of Technology.
“Our revolutionary RO Infinity with Counter-Flow Reverse Osmosis
technology powers EC2. CFRO operates with significantly lower
demand for energy and water, concentrating to limits approaching
saturation without the environmental impacts common in incumbent
technologies.”
alkaLi's EC2 solution sets new industry standards to Extract,
Concentrate, and Convert battery-grade lithium with optimized
efficiency and sustainability throughout each stage:
Extraction: Synthesized resins and
novel membranes optimize lithium extraction far beyond industry
norms, uniquely reaching Generation II levels and the richest
lithium stream possible for maximum downstream efficiency. A
second Li-lean stream is output, and each flows to CFRO units in
the Concentration Stage.
Concentration: Powered by Gradiant's
award-winning CFRO to maximize system efficiency, consuming an
order of magnitude less energy than thermal processes.
- CFRO I receives the Li-rich stream and further
concentrates to levels sufficient to convert to battery-grade
lithium
- CFRO II receives the Li-lean stream and reduces TDS to
below regulatory limits, allowing expedited permitting
Conversion: The concentrated lithium
is precipitated into a solid to produce battery-grade lithium
carbonate (Li2CO3) or lithium hydroxide (LiOH).
alkaLi is onboarding new customer partners now.
About Gradiant Gradiant is a Different Kind of Water
Company. With a full suite of differentiated and proprietary
end-to-end solutions for advanced water and wastewater treatment
powered by the top minds in water, the company serves its clients'
mission-critical operations in the world's essential industries,
including semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, food & beverage,
lithium and critical minerals, and renewable energy. Gradiant's
innovative solutions reduce water used and wastewater discharged,
reclaim valuable resources, and renew wastewater into freshwater.
The Boston-headquartered company was founded at MIT and has over
1,000 employees worldwide. Learn more at gradiant.com.
About alkaLi alkaLi is dedicated to accelerating the
scaling of battery-grade lithium production and is powered by EC2,
the world's only all-in-one solution engineered to Extract,
Concentrate and Convert battery-grade lithium. alkaLi offers
lithium producers an unprecedented new means to rapidly scale
lithium production with significant benefits in output capacity,
speed, cost and sustainability—with a solution that adapts to the
broadest range of source inputs in the industry, including brine,
evaporation, and recycling. The Boston-headquartered company is a
standalone company, spun-out from Gradiant. Learn more at
alkaLi3.com.
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Felix Wang Gradiant Global Head of Marketing
fwang@gradiant.com