Watercycle Technologies has brought Europe’s first commercial Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) plant into operation in Runcorn, United Kingdom. The facility marks the first large‐scale deployment of the company’s proprietary DLEC™ technology in Europe and is designed to extract lithium carbonate from local brine sources and industrial wastewater streams.
The plant is currently delivering hundreds of kilograms of battery-grade lithium carbonate each month, a production rate that surpasses existing European DLE efforts. By processing both subsurface brines and wastewaters generated by chemical production and battery recycling, the technology creates a circular, low-impact supply loop that addresses key concerns around water use, energy consumption and overall operating costs.
Watercycle’s CEO, Dr. Seb Leaper, highlighted the importance of a scalable solution in meeting growing demand for lithium: “Our technology can operate on every brine type we have tested, from low-lithium geothermal fluids to high-salinity South American brines, as well as organics-laden industrial effluents. This versatility allows lithium resource owners and battery recyclers to achieve high recoveries with a de-risked, cost-effective process.”
In its current configuration, the Runcorn plant produces enough lithium carbonate equivalent to support roughly 50 mid-sized electric vehicles per month. Additional modular units are planned for deployment across the United Kingdom and abroad in 2026, which is expected to significantly boost output.
The commissioning supports the U.K. government’s Critical Minerals Strategy, which targets at least 10% of annual domestic critical minerals demand to be met through local production and a further 20% through recycling by 2035. It also represents progress toward broader European goals of reaching 150,000 tonnes per annum of lithium carbonate equivalent by the same year.
Watercycle’s Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Ahmed Abdelkarim, emphasized the wider economic and environmental benefits: “Opening Europe’s first commercial DLE plant contributes to national resilience, creates skilled jobs, and underpins our ability to meet the energy transition’s material needs with confidence.”
Source: Watercycle Technologies News
