Hard rock spodumene refiners lose approximately 20% of all available lithium to process wastewater — and industry-wide, only about 4% of that wastewater lithium is currently captured. M.L.E. bolts on to existing wastewater handling and converts the remainder from an environmental liability into a revenue line.
>30k
ppm Li in spodumene refinery wastewater
~4%
Lithium currently captured from wastewater across the industry
0
Upstream process changes required to deploy M.L.E.
Spodumene refiners — the processors who convert hard rock lithium ore into battery-grade material — generate large volumes of lithium-rich wastewater as a byproduct of the refining process. At concentrations exceeding 30,000 ppm, this stream carries enormous lithium value.
Despite this, the industry captures an estimated 4% of that lithium. The remainder is discharged as tailings — a financial loss and, in many jurisdictions, a growing environmental liability as discharge standards tighten.
M.L.E. is a bolt-on solution. It integrates with the wastewater handling infrastructure already in place, requires no modification to upstream refining lines, and converts the discharge stream into a revenue-generating output.
Convert a waste stream into a revenue stream
Recovered lithium from wastewater is purified to battery-grade quality. A new saleable output with no change to upstream refining operations.
Reduce environmental liability on tailings discharge
De-lithiated effluent after M.L.E. processing has materially lower lithium concentration, reducing environmental impact and reducing future regulatory exposure.
Improve total lithium recovery per tonne of ore processed
Every tonne of ore already mined, transported, and refined. M.L.E. captures value that is already paid for — with no incremental extraction cost.
Relevant Operators
Spodumene refiners including Talison, Covalent, Pilbara Minerals, Core Lithium, and peers processing hard rock lithium ore in Australia and beyond.
Deployment Model
Bolt-on membrane skid integrated with existing wastewater handling infrastructure. No upstream process changes. Service priced per cubic meter of feed processed.
Operators who process lithium through M.L.E. can optionally integrate D.C.M. to convert purified lithium directly into battery-ready cathode material on-site, capturing additional margin across the supply chain.
Learn about D.C.M. →Share your wastewater chemistry. We model recovery potential and revenue before any lab work or commitment.
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