Gradiant, a global leader in water and resource recovery, has announced the launch of its lithium business, alkaLi, which will design, build, own, and operate a commercial lithium production facility in the Marcellus Shale Formation of Pennsylvania.

 

The facility will be the world's first to Extract, Concentrate, and Convert (EC²) lithium in a fully integrated, end-to-end process from oilfield produced water.

 

This move builds on alkaLi's EC² platform, which guarantees a minimum 95% lithium recovery at customer sites, enabling producers to deliver battery-grade lithium carbonate faster, cheaper, and more sustainably.

 

The facility will include equipment, land, water and mineral rights, and permits.

 

 The system has already proven key benchmarks, with 97% lithium recovery from produced water and 99.5% purity for battery-grade lithium carbonate.

 

Full commercial operations are expected to begin in early 2026.

 

AlkaLi has also signed a multi-year offtake agreement to supply up to 5,000 metric tonnes of battery-grade lithium carbonate annually to a US lithium-ion battery manufacturer for electric vehicles and energy storage systems.

 

“We now have a fully operational lithium production asset in the US that proves what EC² can deliver,” said Anurag Bajpayee, CEO of Gradiant. “This isn’t a concept—it’s a live facility demonstrating that clean, domestic lithium production is both viable and scalable. Our goal isn’t to compete with customers, but to empower them—and the broader industry—to meet surging demand for battery-grade lithium and accelerate the clean energy transition. This strategic investment in the Marcellus Shale, which could supply 50% of US lithium demand, validates the maturity of alkaLi’s technology and secures a long-term domestic supply.” -TradeArabia News Service