KBR has made a strategic investment in Geolith, a global leader in Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE), marking a major push to accelerate the commercial rollout of Geolith’s Li-Capt technology worldwide.
The move builds on an exclusive alliance formed in 2024 between the two companies and strengthens a shared strategy focused on scalable, cost-efficient, and lower-impact lithium production for battery and energy storage markets.
Together, they aim to combine Geolith’s selective DLE Li Capt technology with KBR’s PureLi refining and conversion system to deliver a fully integrated, end-to-end solution from extraction through to battery-grade lithium.
KBR says its global engineering, procurement, and project delivery capabilities will help reduce project risk and speed up commercialization timelines, leveraging its experience in delivering complex energy-sector developments.
“Building on our strong alliance of collaboration and innovation, we are very excited to take this next step together with Geolith,” said Jay Ibrahim, President, KBR Sustainable Technology Solutions.
“This investment reflects confidence in both the technology and its pathway to deployment and positions us to accelerate the next phase of growth in support of global lithium supply.”
Geolith described the deal as a pivotal milestone in its path to scale-up.
“This is a step-change moment for Geolith. Our Li-Capt technology has been validated across multiple brine chemistries and is now advancing toward commercial-scale deployment,” said Jean-Philippe Gibaud, CEO, Geolith.
“With KBR, we now have the capability to deliver the technology globally, with the speed and rigor the market requires.”
The partnership is already backed by a growing global project pipeline spanning conventional brine resources as well as emerging sources such as produced water from upstream oil and gas operations—potentially unlocking new lithium supplies with a significantly lower environmental footprint.
Together, KBR and Geolith plan to expand and deploy integrated solutions designed to meet rising lithium demand while maintaining strict environmental and operational standards.
