Lilac Solutions

Lilac Solutions is a mining technology company based in Oakland, California that has developed an innovative lithium extraction process. Founded in 2016, Lilac aims to revolutionize lithium production to meet growing demand for electric vehicle batteries while minimizing environmental impacts. The company's proprietary ion exchange technology uses specially-designed beads to selectively absorb lithium from brine resources, eliminating the need for large evaporation ponds used in traditional extraction methods. Lilac claims its process is significantly faster, cheaper, and more scalable than existing technology, with the ability to recover 70-98% of available lithium depending on brine quality. The system reportedly uses less land and water while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% compared to current brine extraction methods.

Lilac has conducted extensive testing on over 30 lithium brine resources worldwide. As of 2024, the company has successfully demonstrated its technology at the 1,000 L/hr scale and plans commercial units with 10,000 L/hr capacity. Lilac is currently developing projects in Argentina and the US. In Argentina, Lilac has a demonstration facility at Lake Resources' brine operation. In the US, the company is pursuing a lithium extraction project on Utah's Great Salt Lake through its subsidiary Waterleaf Resources. Lilac aims to produce 3,000 metric tons of lithium chemicals annually from the Great Salt Lake site by 2026, with plans to eventually scale up to 25,000 tons per year.