Approach
Securing reliable lithium supply
to meet growing global demand.
DLE is the surest path to lithium supply security
The problem:
Lithium demand is outpacing supply
The shortfall is structural, and every year of underbuilt supply leaves resource holders unable to capitalize on a once-in-a-generation demand cycle.
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Demand for lithium is soaring
Battery demand alone is projected to grow 3x over the next ten years, driven by electric vehicles, grid storage, and AI infrastructure.
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Traditional methods can’t scale
Evaporation ponds are slow, low-yield, and constrained by geography, water access, and permitting timelines.
The solution:
DLE fills the gap
Faster time to lithium
Modular DLE plants can produce lithium faster than evaporation projects.
Responsive to supply and demand
Production scales with resource and market conditions, unlike static evaporation infrastructure.
Higher lithium recovery
DLE captures 30 – 50% more lithium compared to evaporation ponds.
Opens up untapped resources
DLE makes a wider range of brines economically viable, including lower-grade salars and continental brines.
Why sorbent:
The industry has chosen sorbent-based DLE
Sorbent DLE provides the lowest operational risk, allowing us to focus on optimizing yield, speed, and cost.
Chosen by all major producers
Major lithium producers and project developers have converged on sorbent-based DLE as the most commercially defensible technology pathway.
Flexible
Sorbent processes adapt to a wide range of brine chemistries and scale predictably from pilot to full commercial plant, all without the need for costly chemicals that inhibit reinjection.
Lower CapEx & OpEx
Sorbent-based systems require less infrastructure, less water, and less land than alternative DLE chemistries or evaporation methods.
Our Integrated Solution: denaLi™
denaLi™ merges advanced multi-column system technology, high-performance sorbent, and predictive modeling to deliver scalable, low-cost lithium production at commercial scale.
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Advanced Multi-Column System.
Our proprietary multi-column sequencing delivers unparalleled purity, efficiency, and reliability in a modular system.
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High-Performance Sorbent.
Our proprietary eLivate™ sorbent technology delivers the industry’s best capacity and kinetics in the world’s first regenerable pellet.
03
Predictive Modeling Platform.
denaLi™‘s digital twin technology optimizes to unique brine conditions for maximum lithium recovery and cost efficiency.
How we’re different
The clear leader in DLE.
Summit has solved the challenges of sorbent DLE and innovated well beyond competitors.
In-house testing
Regional testing hubs accelerate project feasibility.
We accelerate project feasibility testing by replicating your site’s unique operating conditions in-house, giving you certainty before committing capital.
NORTH AMERICA REGIONAL TESTING HUB — DENVER
SOUTH AMERICA REGIONAL TESTING HUB — SANTIAGO
Proven & ready
Validated, secured, and ready.
We bring innovative technology and industrial scaling expertise to Direct Lithium Extraction.
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Validated
Independently tested by major mining partners operating across South America and North America.
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Secured
Proprietary sorbent manufactured in the United States and key components globally sourced to protect supply-chain integrity for Western projects.
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Ready
In-house demonstration plant generates commercial-grade design data in a fraction of the time and cost of a traditional field demonstration.
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FIELD DEMO — ALBEMARLE
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IN-HOUSE DEMO — SANTIAGO, CHILE
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IN-HOUSE PILOT — DENVER, USA
Our sustainability commitment.
We pledge to deliver more efficient extraction with lower impact, enabling lithium producers to economically meet growing demand with less impact on local communities and ecosystems.
The same metrics that get us to the lowest levelized cost also get us to the lowest environmental impact.
Industry-leading water efficiency
Reduction in water use across the denaLi system minimizes withdrawal, protecting freshwater aquifers in water-stressed regions.
Smaller footprint
Modular plant design occupies 100x less land compared to evaporation ponds, and system-level efficiency further reduces footprint relative to other DLE approaches.
Lower chemical use
High sorbent selectivity reduces the reagents required for downstream impurity removal, cutting chemical consumption per tonne of lithium produced.
Lower GhG emissions
Lower energy intensity and reduced material throughput translate directly into a smaller carbon footprint per tonne of lithium compared to other sorbent DLE providers.
Community engagement
We work alongside local stakeholders, employ regional teams, and design for minimal disruption to surrounding water tables and ecosystems.
