KAUST’s lithium-extraction breakthrough could propel Saudi Arabia’s battery industry

Scientists at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have developed a groundbreaking technology that could place Saudi Arabia at the forefront of global lithium production.

The new method, detailed in the journal Science, enables the direct extraction of lithium from oilfield brine and seawater – a game-changer for an industry reliant on costly and resource-intensive mining.

Lithium is essential for the batteries used in electric vehicles, laptops, and smartphones, but extracting it from low-concentration sources like brine has been economically unfeasible until now. The KAUST method was tested on a pilot scale 100,000 times larger than typical lab experiments and proved cost-competitive with traditional mining techniques.

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This innovation allows for the extrication of lithium from brine containing as little as 20 parts per million without introducing pollutants or additives.

Professor Zhiping Lai, co-chair of KAUST’s Center of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Storage Technologies, explained that the process uses a “redox electrode bridge” to harness osmotic energy, significantly reducing energy consumption.

The implications for global supply are vast. Brine and seawater contain over 10,000 times more lithium than conventional reserves. By tapping into these sources, global lithium resources could surge from 22 million tons to more than 230 billion tons.

With global demand for lithium projected to rise from 750,000 tons in 2020 to more than 5 million tons by 2030, securing domestic production could bolster Saudi Arabia’s energy resilience and strengthen its role in the clean energy market.

“Local lithium extraction strengthens the resilience of the supply chain and enhances national energy security,” Lai said, adding that this innovation positions Saudi Arabia as a leader in the clean energy transition.

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The technology has already attracted significant industry interest. KAUST’s startup Lihytech, co-founded by Lai and Professor Kuo-Wei (Andy) Huang, has secured $6 million in initial funding from the Saudi mining giant Ma’aden and the KAUST Innovation Fund.

In a key partnership, Aramco is providing brine from its oilfields to help test and scale the lithium-extraction process.

“Our goal is to establish a full-scale production and operation and generate significant lithium output within Saudi Arabia by 2028,” Huang said.

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