The filing targets a gap in the supply chain between lithium extraction and the production of battery-grade material
ReElement Technologies, a US specialist in rare earth and critical mineral refining, has filed its eighth next-generation patent application, covering a process for producing ultra-high-purity lithium from lithium-bearing brines and designed to complement existing direct lithium extraction technology.
The filing was announced through American Resources Corp (NASDAQ:AREC), the Nasdaq-listed company that holds a minority stake in ReElement, and expands the company’s intellectual property portfolio as it positions itself as a downstream partner to operators already extracting and concentrating lithium from brine deposits.
Direct lithium extraction, known as DLE, is a processing method that pulls lithium from naturally occurring saline water sources more efficiently and with a smaller environmental footprint than traditional evaporation pond techniques, which can take years.
ReElement’s argument is that while DLE technology handles the extraction and concentration stages effectively, its own chromatography-based purification platform is uniquely suited to convert the resulting concentrated lithium streams into the battery-grade material required by manufacturers of electric vehicle batteries and energy storage systems.
Mark Jensen, chief executive of ReElement, said the company’s approach was deliberately complementary rather than competitive, combining DLE’s strengths at extraction with ReElement’s capabilities at separation and purification to create what he described as a more efficient and economically competitive pathway to high-purity lithium output.
The technology has already been field-tested alongside membrane-based concentration systems, the company said.
ReElement’s platform is designed to handle multiple feedstock types, including hard rock lithium, recycled battery material and coal-based waste streams as well as brines, giving it flexibility across different upstream supply chains.
The company said its refining systems can be deployed quickly, occupy significantly less space than conventional refineries and operate with lower chemical inputs, making them compatible with US environmental standards and suitable for domestic or allied-nation deployment.
The filing forms part of a broader strategy to address what Jensen described as a critical vulnerability in the global supply chain, where refining capacity remains heavily concentrated outside the United States and allied nations.
Additional patent applications are currently in development.
