DuPont announced it has launched an end-to-end Direct Lithium Extraction portfolio comprising more than 20 products across multiple technologies, designed to improve lithium recovery and provide tailored solutions for diverse brine resources, supporting scalable lithium production amid accelerating global demand.
As an alternative to traditional lithium processing approaches such as hard rock mining or evaporation, DLE is well positioned to support growing lithium demand through advanced separation technologies designed to extract lithium effectively and efficiently from brine.
The new DLE portfolio spans lithium-selective sorbents, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes, and ion exchange resins across the entire lithium brine treatment process, from extraction and purification to final concentration. This integrated flowsheet design enables customers to implement end-to-end solutions or select individual technologies tailored to their specific process requirements and brine compositions.
Integrated technologies improve lithium recovery
A key differentiator of DuPont's new portfolio is its breadth and flexibility, which allows DuPont to design customized solutions across a wide range of lithium extraction applications. For example, the portfolio includes specialized lithium-selective DuPont™ AmberSorb™ adsorbent technologies for both high- and low-temperature brine streams to meet the needs for efficient lithium recovery from diverse global resources. In addition, DuPont provides different grades of FilmTec™ LiNE nanofiltration and reverse osmosis elements, offering unique separation characteristics and incorporation of low salt rejection reverse osmosis (LSRRO) technology to achieve ultra-high lithium concentration.
These capabilities are enhanced by advanced DuPont™ IntegraTec™ and Inge™ ultrafiltration modules, FilmTec™ nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes, and DuPont™ AmberLite™ ion exchange resins, which improve lithium yield, purity, and concentration throughout the process. By bringing these technologies together into a single, cohesive platform, DuPont enables customers to optimize performance and recovery across the full direct lithium extraction flowsheet.
"DLE processes are highly sensitive to the lithium brine composition, temperature, and competing ions. By integrating the lithium-selective sorbents, membranes, and ion exchange technologies into a single process design framework, we can optimize the full flowsheet rather than treating them in isolation," said Dr. Martin Deetz, Senior R&D Laureate for DuPont Water Solutions. "Our customers are trying to move from the lab to reliable lithium production as quickly as possible. By combining these technologies with advanced modeling, testing, and piloting support, we can help accelerate the design of tailored, end-to-end lithium extraction flowsheets for their specific brine resources and goals."
Meeting growing demand for lithium production
DuPont further supports customers through its global research and development network, offering advanced laboratory testing and process modeling. These services allow lithium producers to validate performance using real brine samples and accelerate process development. This approach positions DuPont as a technical collaborator, helping customers move from initial evaluation to implementation with greater speed, confidence, and process reliability. As demand for lithium surges to power electric vehicles and energy storage systems, the industry is increasingly adopting DLE as a more coordinated and efficient approach to unlocking new lithium resources.
