Industry Currents: Lithium’s Thirst – Managing Water in the Battery Supply Chain
As demand for electric vehicles, grid-scale storage, and consumer electronics accelerates, global lithium production is racing to keep up. But behind the urgency to secure this “white gold” lies a critical and often contentious issue: water.
From high-desert brine extraction in South America to hard-rock mining in Australia and new U.S. lithium projects tied to geothermal and clay deposits, every production pathway has one thing in common; each requires careful, strategic water management.
Communities, investors, and regulators are watching closely. How producers manage water may well determine which lithium projects advance and which stall.
The Water Footprint of Lithium Extraction
Lithium production methods vary widely by geography and geology, but all carry implications for water availability, quality, and sustainability:
- Brine Extraction (South America, U.S. Southwest)
Lithium-rich brines are pumped from deep aquifers into large evaporation ponds.
Water implications:
- High evaporation rates in arid climates intensify freshwater loss.
- Potential impacts on surrounding freshwater and indigenous water use.
- Long extraction timelines (12–18 months) create vulnerability to climate variability.
- Hard-Rock Mining (Australia, China, Africa)
Ore is crushed, processed, and refined to produce lithium concentrate.
Water implications:
- Significant water usage in mineral separation, flotation, and chemical processing.
- Wastewater streams often contain suspended solids, metals, and chemical reagents.
- Emerging Technologies (U.S. geothermal & clay extraction)
Technologies like Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) and geothermal brine processing are reshaping the market.
Water implications:
- Potentially lower land and water footprints.
- Require advanced pre-treatment and chemical conditioning due to high salinity and scaling potential.
Regardless of the method, water is emerging as both a strategic enabler and a limiting factor in lithium project development.
The Push for Responsible Water Management
To meet supply-chain expectations, and avoid permitting roadblocks, lithium developers are increasingly prioritizing:
Higher Recovery, Lower Intake
Membrane systems, advanced filtration, and high-recovery RO are helping reduce total freshwater demands.
Treatment of Complex Brines
Lithium brines contain high dissolved solids, silica, organics, and metals.
Customized pre-treatment trains (coagulation, clarification, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration) are often needed before recovery or DLE processing.
Water Reuse & Zero Liquid Discharge
To operate in sensitive or arid regions, many producers are evaluating:
- Brine concentrators
- Crystallizers
- Integrated ZLD systems
These minimize environmental impact and improve social license to operate.
Pilot Validation
Given the complexity of brine chemistry, containerized pilot units have become essential for derisking full-scale designs — validating performance, scaling potential, and long-term operating costs before capital investment.
Industry Implications
The lithium boom presents enormous opportunity, but water is increasingly the deciding factor in:
- Permitting and environmental approvals
- Community acceptance and stakeholder trust
- ESG scoring and investor confidence
- Long-term project viability
Operators who approach water as a strategic asset, rather than a problem to solve later, will be best positioned to scale sustainably.
Those who don’t will find themselves slowed by delays, opposition, or costly retrofits.
The global conversation around lithium is shifting. It’s no longer just about extraction volume; it’s about extraction responsibility.
SAMCO’s Perspective
At SAMCO, we support lithium developers across all production methods with custom-engineered water and wastewater solutions, from advanced brine pre-treatment to high-recovery membrane systems and ZLD integration.
Our containerized pilot systems also help operators validate treatment strategies for challenging brines before committing to full-scale production, reducing risk and shortening development timelines.
As the lithium market expands, strategic water management will be essential to ensuring sustainable, scalable battery supply chains. Explore our solutions to learn how SAMCO can support emerging lithium projects with reliable, efficient water treatment systems.