AMA Energy Insights:  Lithoz and Evove Redefine Lithium Extraction with SeparonicsTM

Why It Matters

By dramatically lowering energy and water footprints, the Lithoz‑Evove solution could accelerate lithium supply while reducing geopolitical risk and environmental impact, reshaping the economics of the battery‑materials value chain.

Key Takeaways

• Lithoz's LCM prints ceramic membranes with custom porosity for lithium brine
• Evove's Separonics™ reduces filtration pressure from 10‑30 bar to 1‑3 bar
• Modular ceramic filters cut energy use and cleaning frequency dramatically
• Technology targets pre‑concentration and impurity removal, not full lithium processing
• Early deployments show 600 m²/day membrane output, boosting industrial scalability

Pulse Analysis

The lithium boom, driven by electric‑vehicle adoption and grid‑scale storage, has exposed the shortcomings of century‑old brine evaporation methods. Vast ponds consume acres of land, strain water tables, and require months to concentrate lithium, creating logistical bottlenecks and high carbon footprints. As the industry seeks faster, greener pathways, additive manufacturing emerges as a catalyst, offering precision‑engineered components that can be retrofitted into existing plants without massive capital overhaul.

Lithoz’s lithography‑based ceramic manufacturing (LCM) and Evove’s Separonics™ filtration architecture combine to redesign the physical flow of brine. By printing ceramic segments with tailored porosity and internal vortex channels, the system maintains chemical stability in aggressive brines while dropping operating pressure from 10‑30 bar to just 1‑3 bar. The result is a 90% reduction in energy demand, extended cleaning intervals from hours to weeks, and a smaller chemical footprint. Because the modules are modular and stackable, operators can scale capacity incrementally, aligning capital spend with production needs.

The partnership signals a broader shift toward advanced, 3D‑printed separation technologies across the resource sector. Early pilots, such as a Singapore facility achieving 600 m² of membrane output per day, prove that high‑volume ceramic printing can meet industrial scale. While the technology currently excels at pre‑concentration and impurity removal rather than full lithium recovery, its ability to cut costs and environmental impact positions it as a strategic asset for producers facing tightening ESG regulations and supply‑chain risks. Continued innovation in pore‑size control and module length could soon expand its role, making additive manufacturing a cornerstone of next‑generation mineral processing.