A Dutch consortium is launching a pilot project to test a new lithium refining process that could cut energy use and carbon emissions by around 50%.
The three-year Lithium Refining via Salt-Assisted Crystallisation (LiSA) project aims to develop a lower-carbon route for lithium refining by combining recycling, industrial chemistry and process innovation.
The Dutch government has awarded the initiative EUR 2 million through the TKI Energy programme. Additionally, the consortium will EUR 3.6 million in developing and testing the pilot facility in the Netherlands.
Chemical company Nobian leads the consortium together with battery recycler Back to Battery, the University of Twente, Demcon Suster and ISPT.
Closed-loop process
The LiSA project will refine lithium from European geothermal brines and end-of-life batteries into battery-grade lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate.
Unlike conventional refining methods, the patented process uses lithium chloride as its starting point. The technology combines electrochemistry with salt-assisted crystallisation to separate lithium compounds from the solution.
An important feature is its circular design. Sodium chloride generated during the process is reused in Nobian’s existing chlor-alkali electrolysers to produce caustic soda. That material then returns to the refining process, reducing waste and raw material demand.
According to the consortium, the technology could use around 50% less energy while cutting CO₂ emissions by a similar margin. It is also expected to consume less water and generate fewer waste streams than conventional lithium refining.
The pilot plant will evaluate lithium feedstocks from several European sources. Researchers will also study how impurities from recycled battery materials influence refining performance.
Linking recycling with refining
Europe remains heavily dependent on imported lithium chemicals despite growing battery production. At the same time, relatively little lithium recovered from end-of-life batteries returns to new battery manufacturing.
The LiSA project aims to bridge that gap by integrating recycled lithium directly into the refining process. Dutch battery recycler Back to Battery will supply lithium-containing brines recovered from spent batteries for the trials.
‘LiSA leverages our electrochemistry and crystallisation capabilities to help address one of Europe’s key raw material challenges,’ says Coert van Lare, director, innovation programme renewable & circular at Nobian.
Steven Lans, chief executive of Back to Battery, believes the collaboration demonstrates how existing chemical expertise can accelerate circular battery production. ‘We recover critical raw materials from end-of-life batteries and return them to new batteries without any loss of performance,’ he says.
Building European supply chains
Beyond the pilot, the partners hope the project will strengthen Europe’s battery chemicals industry by combining recycling, refining and industrial scale-up in a single value chain.
The University of Twente will support process modelling and optimisation, while ISPT coordinates the project and shares the findings with industry partners.
If successful, the consortium believes the technology could help reduce Europe’s dependence on imported battery materials while supporting a more circular and resilient battery supply chain.
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