LibertyStream Infrastructure Partners announced the start of lithium carbonate production from its automated continuous-flow refining unit at its field operations in the Permian Basin, Texas.
The onsite lithium carbonate refining unit that completes the end-to-end DLE pathway from brine to battery-relevant product.
Lithium carbonate is a key precursor for lithium-ion battery cathode materials, making this development relevant to electric vehicle and energy storage supply chains. The field demonstration establishes an end-to-end pathway that converts produced water from oilfield brine into a saleable battery-relevant material directly at the well site.
By pairing the refining unit with LibertyStream’s proprietary direct lithium extraction (DLE) system on existing oilfield infrastructure, the company has demonstrated a modular process that can be replicated in high-volume US basins, such as the Permian and the Bakken.
“Our objective has been to validate continuous conversion of oilfield brine into lithium carbonate under field conditions,” said Alex Wylie, president and CEO of LibertyStream. “This provides the operational data required for customer qualification and future scale-up.”
The company notes that the system is designed to integrate into existing oilfield operations and support potential future supply requirements for EV, industrial, and defense customers.
LibertyStream’s Texas field operations have progressed over the past 16 months through the commissioning of its Generation 5 DLE unit, capable of processing up to 10,000 barrels of brine per day into a lithium chloride eluate. Since February 2025, the system has processed more than 350,000 barrels of brine and completed over 2,500 real-time validation tests.
To produce a battery-relevant product, LibertyStream installed and commissioned an automated continuous-flow lithium carbonate refining unit at the same field site. The system converts lithium chloride eluate into technical-grade or battery-grade lithium carbonate. It has a capacity of up to 10 tonnes per year and is designed for modular expansion within the company’s DLE platform.
LibertyStream’s near-term priorities are producing consistent lithium carbonate batches for independent laboratory testing and for customer qualification programs.
This includes:
• Producing batches for third-party laboratory validation
• Verifying that the refining unit consistently meets customer technical specifications
• Sending bulk samples with certificates of analysis (COAs) for customer testing
After successful qualification, the company plans to begin offtake discussions to support a scale-up of lithium carbonate operations in 2026 and target commercial supply in 2027. Lithium carbonate produced outside of qualification sampling is expected to be sold into the spot market in 2026.
Recent financial activities include approximately $4.0 million (combined Canadian and US dollars) in proceeds from the exercise of warrants and stock options, including by the company’s largest institutional shareholder, as well as previously announced non-dilutive grant funding. These funds will support continued development in Texas and North Dakota as LibertyStream advances toward commercial-scale production.
Filed Under: Batteries, Technology News