MIT-Backed Startup Boosts U.S. Lithium Production Technology 2025

Prime Highlights:

MIT startup Lithios is commercializing an innovative, energy-efficient method to extract lithium from U.S. underground brines.
The company plans to scale operations to produce 25,000 tons of lithium annually, significantly increasing domestic supply.

Key Facts:

The U.S. currently produces less than 5,000 tons of lithium per year.
Arkansas alone could contain up to 19 million tons of untapped lithium, valued at potentially trillions of dollars.

Background:

A new MIT-founded startup is looking to transform U.S. lithium production while reducing environmental impact. Lithios, established by Mo Alkhadra, PhD ’22, and MIT Professor Martin Bazant, is commercializing a novel “Advanced Lithium Extraction” process that uses electricity to pull lithium from brine water, leaving impurities behind.

Lithios’ method offers a cleaner, more energy-efficient alternative to conventional mining and large-scale solar evaporation ponds, which are typically used in South America. The technology also promises greater efficiency than other direct lithium extraction methods, particularly for U.S. reserves that contain lower lithium concentrations.

The startup has been operating a pilot system since June, processing brine waters from multiple locations globally. Recently, an early version of the system was shipped to a commercial partner in Arkansas, one of the areas with the largest domestic lithium reserves. Next year, Lithios plans to operate a larger system capable of producing 10 to 100 tons of lithium carbonate annually, with a long-term goal of reaching 25,000 tons per year.

“Securing domestic lithium supply has become critical to reduce reliance on imports, especially from China, which dominates global production,” said Alkhadra. “We have abundant reserves in the U.S., but lack the tools to extract them efficiently, until now.”

The company’s electrode-based system works similarly to a battery. Lithium ions are captured from brine when voltage is applied and released when the electrical current is reversed, producing clean lithium carbonate.

With help from MIT programs and clean energy funds, Lithios plans to launch several pilot projects in the next few years. Although it currently focuses on lithium, the technology could be used for other important minerals, helping the U.S. lead in advanced mineral extraction.

“This is about technology, clean energy, and strategic economic growth,” said Bazant. “MIT provided the ideal environment to bring this vision to life.”