K.Y. Amen and J. Brockgreitens
Claros Technologies,
United States
Keywords: Mining, processing, ion exchange, lithium
Summary:
Critical mineral mining is a rapidly expanding sector driven by increasing demand for materials essential to energy storage, advanced manufacturing, and semiconductor technologies. Many critical minerals, including lithium, are constrained by limited domestic supply, geographic concentration, and reliance on geopolitically sensitive sources. Conventional mining and recovery processes are further challenged by the chemical complexity of heterogeneous feedstocks, such as brines and industrial waste streams, which require energy-intensive, multi-step separation steps. The development of effective and selective capture technologies is therefore paramount to improving domestic production capacity, reducing energy consumption, and strengthening U.S. supply chain resilience. Claros Technologies is developing a novel sorbent-based lithium recovery technology that leverages inorganic sorption mechanisms through in-situ nanoparticle growth within high–surface-area sorbent materials. Using our proprietary synthesis technique, inorganic nanoparticles are integrated both within the bulk and on the surface of the sorbent. Unlike conventional lithium capture and recovery methods, this technology integrates polymeric supports with inorganic nanoparticles to increase reactive surface area, preserve accessibility, enable tunable selectivity, and improve performance under variable operating conditions. By selectively removing lithium ions from aqueous media, this technology reduces metal concentrations in waste streams, improves material utilization efficiency, and lowers the overall energy expenditure of lithium recovery. Preliminary results have demonstrated that the nanoparticle-sorbent system improved lithium capture 15-20% compared to the virgin sorbent. This is a strong indicator of positive financial impact to lithium brine/mining operations as lithium material capture and recovery will be maximized. Further, this inorganic nanoparticle-sorbent system is not limited to the capture and recovery of lithium, and we are looking to continue to expand our library of target ions. The in-situ nanoparticle-sorbent system integration can be applied to target other critical minerals or hazardous materials. Claros has successfully demonstrated selectively and permanently capturing Mercury and Arsenic using our in-situ nanoparticle-sorbent system. Target applications of our product include lithium recovery from geothermal and industrial brines, battery manufacturing waste streams, and recycling process effluents relevant to the U.S. battery and semiconductor supply chains. Finally, these applications renew waste and industrial brines into strategic domestic resources, simultaneously lowering environmental impacts and advancing U.S. supply chain independence for battery and semiconductor sectors.