Watercycle Technologies has secured £3 million ($4 million) in UK Government funding towards a £6 million project to recover and refine battery-grade lithium from industrial wastewater and battery recycling materials.
The 36-month Recover, Refine, Recharge: Scaling Lithium Extraction from Wastewater for UK Battery Production (ReLiVE) project is scheduled to begin in April 2027.
Led by Watercycle Technologies, it will establish a pilot-to-demonstration-scale lithium production facility in the UK. The company’s proprietary DLEC technology will be used to recover lithium from sources that would otherwise be treated as waste, including industrial wastewater and lithium-bearing materials produced by battery recycling.
The recovered material will be refined into high-purity lithium salts intended for use in electric vehicle cathode materials and battery cells.
Watercycle said the project would seek to demonstrate that battery-grade lithium can be produced reliably and competitively in the UK from circular sources. The country currently has no significant domestic lithium refining capacity and remains dependent on imported lithium chemicals.
The grant was awarded through the DRIVE35 Scale Up Fund, part of the UK Government’s £4 billion DRIVE35 programme. The programme is being delivered in partnership with the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK and Innovate UK.
Watercycle will work with partners across the UK lithium refining, battery and automotive sectors to verify that its lithium products meet industry requirements. Environmental and economic assessments will compare the process with imported lithium chemicals, including its carbon footprint, potential reduction in wastewater pollution and economics when deployed through modular production facilities.
Dr Ahmed Abdelkarim, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Watercycle Technologies, said: “ReLiVE directly supports the UK’s ambition to build a secure, domestic supply of battery-grade lithium. The Government’s Critical Minerals Strategy sets a clear goal to establish large-scale UK lithium production and reduce our reliance on imports.
“By demonstrating that high-purity lithium can be produced from circular, low-carbon sources here in the UK, ReLiVE can help turn that ambition into reality. It shows how British innovation can support the transition to zero-emission transport while building the strategic capabilities the country needs for a more resilient battery supply chain.”
Ian Constance, chief executive of the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK, said: “The projects announced today demonstrate the depth of innovation and engineering excellence that exists across the UK automotive sector. Through DRIVE35, we are supporting businesses to move promising technologies to commercial deployment and manufacturing at scale.”
Photo: Dr Ahmed Abdelkarim and Dr Seb Leaper at Watercycle
Credit: Watercycle Technologies
