Transforming Lithium Extraction in the UK in Partnership with Cornish Lithium & Innovate UK
(2 November 2022, Manchester UK) - Manchester based Watercycle Technologies Ltd (‘Watercycle’ or ‘the Company’), a pioneering critical minerals and water filtration specialist operating from the world class facilities at the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre, is delighted to announce that it has been granted a £500,000 Innovate UK Smart Grant, in partnership with Cornish Lithium Ltd, to test its ground-breaking direct lithium extraction (‘DLE’) process in Cornwall.
Watercycle’s patented filtration process can selectively extract lithium from sub-surface waters, such as those found in the Southwest of the UK. Given lithium’s essential role in battery technologies, the ability to obtain it from waters cost effectively and establish a domestic supply of the mineral is vital for the UK’s Net-Zero strategy.
Under the terms of the agreement, Watercycle will deliver a containerised filtration system to extract lithium from Cornish Lithium’s project in Cornwall at a pilot scale. The project, which includes an environmental impact assessment, is anticipated to complete in October 2023.
Watercycle CEO Dr Seb Leaper said, “Having already proven that our proprietary filtration membranes and systems work in lab conditions, we are excited to be working with Cornish Lithium to demonstrate their scalability and accelerate the creation of a resilient, domestic lithium supply chain in the UK. This agreement marks the next step in our development strategy as we look at the commercialisation of our technology, which is capable of treating a wide range of water types and can deliver dramatic reductions in costs, carbon emissions and water consumption compared with current processes.”
Watercycle co-founder and CTO Dr Ahmed Abdelkarim added, “It is great to be working with like-minded partners, Cornish Lithium and Innovate UK, which, like us, are focused on making a positive impact on the global transition through advancing innovative technologies. Lithium is a critical element with EV demand set to grow 418% from 468 GWh this year to 2.4 TWh by 2030 and we are delighted to be part of that chain, offering a British solution to the challenge of primary lithium production, which is the first link within the wider EV supply chain.’’
Lead Geochemist Dr Rebecca Paisley at Cornish Lithium said, “Cornish Lithium is keen to support projects from UK-based universities, and the companies commercialising them, which we believe have the potential to be both game changing and contribute to the UK’s Net Zero strategy. Working with Watercycle in the development of a pilot system aligns strongly with our Research and Innovation strategy, as well as our continued efforts to trial multiple DLE technologies at pilot scale in Cornwall to establish the most effective and responsible process flow sheet. We have a good relationship with the Watercycle team and look forward to progressing the project over the next 12 months.”
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About Watercycle Technologies - www.watercycletechnologies.com
Watercycle, spun out from the University of Manchester and backed by business accelerator Aer Ventures, is an innovative, sustainability-driven deep tech company focused on developing high-yield, low-cost mineral extraction, and water treatment systems. Its advanced innovative membrane distillation-crystallisation (‘MDC’) technology is capable of treating highly concentrated water and is initially being utilised in lithium production from sub surface water and brines, as well as lithium-ion spent battery recycling, particularly relevant with regards to the current global transition towards a Circular Economy.
The Company is operating from the world class facilities at the Masdar Building at the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre in Manchester, enabling the team to conduct critical R&D in state-of-the-art laboratories.
The Company’s patented membranes and systems are being developed and optimised by its UK and international R&D team led by Dr Seb Leaper and Dr Ahmed Abdelkarim to target industries including mining, desalination, agriculture, textiles, and food & beverage. Importantly, the modular technology delivers dramatic reductions in costs and carbon emissions with one of the important by product being fresh potable water.
Watercycle has a strong ethics-based business model that delivers profitable commercial solutions that are also focused on sustainability, environmental protection, and remediation.
About Cornish Lithium Ltd – www.cornishlithium.com
Cornish Lithium is a pioneering mineral exploration and development company focused on the environmentally responsible extraction of lithium from geothermal waters and hard rock in the historic mining district of Cornwall. The Company has secured agreements with the owners of mineral rights over a large area of the County and is using modern technology to re-evaluate the region for its potential to produce lithium and other vital technology metals in a low carbon and low impact manner. A secure domestic supply of such metals is considered vital to the industrial strategy of the UK as it moves towards Net-Zero 2050 and the production of electric vehicles.
About Innovate UK Smart Grant - www.ukri.org/councils/innovate-uk/
Smart is Innovate UK's responsive grant funding programme. It has focused eligibility criteria and scope to support SMEs and their partners to develop disruptive innovations with significant potential for rapid, economic return to the UK.