Nobian and partners launched the LiSA project to develop energy-efficient, circular lithium refining, strengthening Europe's sustainable battery supply chain and resilience.
Nobian has joined forces with Back to Battery, the University of Twente, Demcon Suster, and the Institute for Sustainable Process Technology (ISPT) to establish the LiSA consortium, a collaborative initiative focused on developing a circular and low-carbon lithium refining process in Europe. The Dutch government has supported the project with a €2 million grant through the TKI Energy programme, enabling the consortium to launch a three-year pilot project in the Netherlands. Combined with contributions from the project partners, the total investment amounts to approximately €3.6 million. The initiative is designed to strengthen Europe's domestic lithium processing capabilities while reducing reliance on imported battery materials.
The LiSA project aims to refine lithium obtained from European resources, including geothermal brines and recycled lithium recovered from end-of-life batteries, into battery-grade lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate. Central to the project is Nobian's patented crystallization technology, which integrates electrochemical processing with salt-based crystallization. This innovative process converts lithium chloride into high-purity battery materials by combining the lithium chloride solution with caustic soda and processing it through two crystallization stages. During these stages, lithium hydroxide and sodium chloride are separated efficiently. The sodium chloride is then recycled into Nobian's existing chlor-alkali electrolysis system to regenerate caustic soda, creating a closed-loop process that significantly improves resource efficiency.
Compared with conventional lithium refining methods, the LiSA process is expected to reduce energy consumption by nearly 50% while cutting carbon dioxide emissions by a similar margin. In addition to lowering the environmental footprint, the technology is anticipated to consume less water, generate fewer waste streams, and reduce operating costs, making it both environmentally and economically attractive. As part of the pilot programme, a laboratory-scale research facility will be constructed to evaluate various lithium feedstocks, optimize operating conditions, and develop effective methods for handling impurities commonly found in recycled lithium materials.
The project addresses one of Europe's most pressing strategic challenges. Lithium is a critical raw material for electric vehicle batteries, renewable energy storage systems, and the broader clean energy transition. However, Europe continues to rely heavily on imported lithium and battery chemicals, exposing its supply chain to geopolitical tensions, price fluctuations, and supply disruptions. Furthermore, valuable lithium contained in used batteries is not yet being recovered and reused at the scale required to establish a truly circular battery economy.
By integrating recycled lithium directly into the refining process alongside lithium sourced from European geothermal resources, the LiSA project seeks to establish a fully circular lithium value chain. This integrated approach connects battery recycling with battery-grade chemical production, helping improve resource security while reducing dependence on overseas suppliers. The initiative is expected to contribute significantly to the development of a sustainable lithium ecosystem in both the Netherlands and Europe, supporting the European Union's ambitions to secure critical raw materials and strengthen industrial competitiveness.
According to Nobian's leadership, the project combines the company's expertise in electrochemistry, crystallization, salt chemistry, and industrial-scale chemical processing to create a more sustainable pathway for battery material production. The company believes the initiative supports Europe's long-term objective of building a lower-carbon, strategically independent battery chemicals industry while expanding Nobian's role in one of the continent's fastest-growing industrial sectors.
Back to Battery highlighted the strong technological synergy between the two organizations, noting that both companies utilize similar chemical processes. Through this collaboration, recycled critical raw materials recovered from spent batteries can be transformed into new battery materials without compromising performance. The partners also emphasized that recycling reagents within the process further enhances circularity and supports the modernization of the Netherlands' chemical manufacturing sector.
Beyond LiSA, the project forms part of Nobian's broader battery chemicals strategy. The company is also involved in initiatives such as SLDBatt and STARBATCH, which focus on sodium-based battery technologies. Together, these programmes reflect Nobian's commitment to advancing sustainable battery materials through innovation, industrial collaboration, and circular chemistry.
Within the consortium, each partner contributes specialized expertise. Nobian provides its electrochemical processing technologies and industrial scale-up capabilities, while Back to Battery supplies recycled lithium-containing feedstocks from spent batteries. Demcon Suster is responsible for designing and constructing the pilot-scale research facility, the University of Twente will conduct process modelling and optimization studies, and ISPT will coordinate the project while sharing technical knowledge across the wider industrial community. Collectively, the consortium aims to validate the technology for large-scale deployment and help establish a resilient, low-carbon battery chemicals value chain across Europe.
Impact on Product: Lithium Hydroxide and Lithium Carbonate
The launch of the LiSA pilot project is expected to strengthen the long-term outlook for battery-grade lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate production in Europe by promoting a more sustainable and circular refining process. While the project will not immediately increase commercial supply due to its pilot-stage development, it lays the groundwork for future domestic production using both recycled battery materials and geothermal lithium resources. Over time, successful commercialization could reduce Europe's dependence on imported lithium chemicals, improve supply chain resilience, and support the rapidly expanding electric vehicle and energy storage sectors. The process's lower energy consumption, reduced carbon emissions, and efficient resource utilization could also lower production costs and enhance the competitiveness of European lithium chemicals. For ChemAnalyst-tracked commodities, lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate prices are expected to remain largely stable in the near term, as pilot operations will not materially impact market supply. However, in the medium to long term, increased regional refining capacity and improved availability of recycled lithium could ease supply constraints, potentially exerting downward pressure on prices while reducing price volatility across the European battery chemicals market.
