Hood Whitson, chief executive officer of Element3, and Cynthia Jenks, associate laboratory director for the Physical Sciences Directorate, shake hands during the Element3 licensing event at ORNL on May 3, 2024. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy
A collection of seven technologies for lithium recovery developed by scientists from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been licensed to Element3, a Texas-based company focused on extracting lithium from wastewater produced by oil and gas production.
The technologies were developed through the Critical Materials Innovation Hub, a DOE Energy Innovation Hub led by Ames National Laboratory that is dedicated to accelerating scientific and technological solutions to ensure secure domestic supply chains for critical minerals and materials.
Lithium-ion batteries power electric vehicles, consumer electronics and defense technologies, as well as providing energy storage for the nation's power grid. The worldwide lithium battery market is projected to grow by a factor of 5 to 10 in the next decade.
"It is critically important to the United States economy and national security that domestic sources for lithium - both raw and refined - are developed," said ORNL's Cynthia Jenks, associate laboratory director for the Physical Sciences Directorate.
Seated, from left to right, are Bruce Moyer, ORNL corporate fellow; Hood Whitson, Element3 CEO; Cynthia Jenks, ORNL associate laboratory director for the Physical Sciences Directorate; and Wes Kowalczuk, an engineer with Element3. Standing, from left to right, are Parans Paranthaman, ORNL corporate fellow; Jayanthi Kumar, ORNL staff scientist; Reis Alsberry, ORNL commercialization manager; Jennifer Caldwell, ORNL director of technology transfer; Eugene Cochran, technology commercialization group leader; Syed Islam, ORNL staff scientist; and Mike Paulus, director of partnerships. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy
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