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

BOSTON, Massachusetts – June 24, 2024 – Gradiant, a global solutions provider for advanced water and wastewater treatment, announces the spin-out of alkaLi^TM, 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.

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.

알카리 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 a confidential client 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.

Gradiant 소개

Gradiant는 다른 종류의 수처리 회사입니다. 수처리 분야의 최고 전문가들이 이끄는 고유하고 차별화된 종합적인 수처리 및 폐수 처리 설루션을 제공하는 이 회사는 반도체, 제약, 식품 및 음료, 리튬 및 중요한 광물, 재생 가능 에너지 등 세계의 중요한 산업에서 고객의 중요 운영을 지원합니다. Gradiant의 혁신적인 설루션은 사용되는 물과 배출되는 폐수를 줄이고, 귀중한 자원을 회수하며, 폐수를 담수로 재생합니다. 보스턴에 본사를 둔 이 회사는 MIT에서 설립되었으며, 전 세계에 1,000명 이상의 직원을 두고 있습니다. 자세히 알아보기 gradiant.com.

alkali 소개

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.