Geolith
Geolith is a French Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) company whose Li-Capt ion-sieve selectively captures lithium from brines, geothermal fluids, and produced water for lithium producers, geothermal operators, oil and gas firms, and battery materials processors via an exclusive KBR licensing partnership.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersOrsay, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Geolith does
Geolith is a French industrial technology company founded in 2016 in Orsay, France, that develops and commercializes Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technology under its Li-Capt brand. The core of the platform is a proprietary ion-sieve active material that selectively captures lithium ions from liquid sources — including geothermal brines, oil and gas produced water, salar brines, and battery recycling or refining process fluids — at concentrations as low as 6 ppm. Li-Capt is delivered as a modular hardware stack of columns, racks, and modules that scale with client production needs, and the technology has been validated on more than 100 brines across five demonstration units in France, the UK, Bolivia, Chile, and the USA. The company positions Li-Capt on four quantifiable outcomes: 90%+ lithium recovery versus 40-60% for traditional evaporation; under 4 tonnes CO2 per tonne LCE versus 5-25 tonnes for alternatives; 30 m³ water consumption per tonne LCE versus 200-300 m³ for conventional methods; and extraction cycles measured in hours versus 12-24 months for evaporation ponds.
Geolith monetizes through three revenue streams: hardware sales of Li-Capt columns, racks, and modules (current Schiltigheim production of 2,000 columns/year, scaling to 36,000 via a planned net-zero factory in Haguenau targeting 100,000 tonnes LCE/year by 2028); technology licensing royalties delivered through an exclusive global licensing partnership with KBR (NYSE: KBR) signed in April 2024 and deepened by a KBR strategic investment in April 2026; and professional services covering feasibility, pilot demonstration, FEED, and EPC support across feasibility through operations and maintenance. Customers include lithium and mineral producers (Searles Valley Minerals, Cornish Lithium, Coipasa in Bolivia), and target segments span geothermal energy producers, oil and gas companies with produced-water liabilities, salar brine operators, and battery materials refiners and recyclers. Distribution combines direct enterprise sales in Europe, the US, and Chile with the KBR exclusive licensing channel that provides engineering, EPC, and customer relationships in 80+ countries.
The company is led by founder and CEO Jean-Philippe Gibaud alongside General Manager Stéphane Ballevre, CCO Pedro Ruiz, CSO Arnaud Poirel (PhD), and CFO Bertrand Eisele. Capital structure includes a strategic investment from KBR, a major shareholding from Eurodia (industrial liquid purification) since 2021, and sustained institutional backing from Bpi France, France 2030, French Tech, Region Grand Est, and Communauté d'Agglomération d'Haguenau. Operating geographies span France (HQ and manufacturing), the USA (regional office in Houston), Chile (regional office in Santiago), with pilot deployments reaching the UK and Bolivia. Recognition includes France 2030 (2023) and Impact 120 (2026).
Geolith firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Geolith
- Legal name
- GEOLITH SAS
- Website
- https://geolith.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Geolith is a French Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) company whose Li-Capt ion-sieve selectively captures lithium from brines, geothermal fluids, and produced water for lithium producers, geothermal operators, oil and gas firms, and battery materials processors via an exclusive KBR licensing partnership.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Geolith industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) Equipment & Technology
- NAICS
- Support Activities for Metal Mining (213114)
- SIC
- Metal Mining (1000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Lithium Mining & Brine Extraction (IMAKAFAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Battery Raw Materials Mining & Refining (Lithium, Nickel, Cobalt, Manganese, Graphite) (EUAFABAA)
Keywords
Where Geolith is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Orsay
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Geolith business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Technology Licensing: KBR serves as exclusive global licensor of Li-Capt technology, generating licensing royalties from technology deployment worldwide.
- DLE Equipment and Modules: Sale of Li-Capt columns, racks, and modular systems for lithium extraction operations. Production capacity of 2,000 columns per year, scaling to 36,000 columns per year with new Haguenau facility.
- Feasibility Studies and Engineering Services: Preliminary laboratory testing, pilot demonstration studies, FEED (Front End Engineering Design), and EPC services supporting project development.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project-based enterprise pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Geolith product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Geolith designs, manufactures and licenses Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technology based on its proprietary Li-Capt ion sieve. The technology is delivered as modular Li-Capt Columns, Racks and Modules to recover lithium from brines (geothermal, oilfield, salar) for upstream lithium producers, energy companies and battery supply-chain players. It is also licensed to KBR as the PureLi process for global project deployment.
Product overview
Geolith offers a modular Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technology platform centered on its Li-Capt ion sieve technology. The core offering consists of Li-Capt columns (the fundamental extraction units), Li-Capt racks (column mounting structures), and Li-Capt modules (complete assembled systems with accessories and controls). The technology extracts lithium selectively from various liquid sources including geothermal brines, oil & gas produced water, salars, and process fluids. When combined with KBR's PureLi refining and conversion platform, the system delivers an integrated end-to-end solution producing battery-grade lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide monohydrate.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Li-Capt Direct Lithium Extraction Technology System Proprietary Direct Lithium Extraction technology based on a selective Li-Capt ion-sieve material, packaged into modular Columns, Racks and Modules for lithium recovery from geothermal, oilfield and salar brines. Sold to upstream lithium producers, energy companies and battery materials players.
- DLE Feasibility, FEED and Engineering Services Front-end engineering, feasibility studies and pilot-services offering for brine operators evaluating or deploying Li-Capt DLE units, supporting project development from bench testing through commercial design.
Quantifiable outcome
- 90%+ lithium recovery rate vs 40-60% for traditional evaporation methods
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Geolith
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Geolith technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Geolith partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- KBRcoreExclusive alliance agreement where KBR serves as the exclusive global licensor of GEOLITH's Li-Capt technology. KBR provides process technology, engineering, and project delivery capabilities while Geolith provides DLE technology, creating an end-to-end solution from lithium extraction to battery-grade lithium production.
- EurodiacoreEurodia Group specializes in industrial liquid purification and is a world leader in this sector. Eurodia has been a major shareholder of GEOLITH since 2021 and provides expertise in purification technologies and industrial process optimization.
- TronoxminorTronox is the world's leading titanium dioxide producer. Located in Alsace near Geolith's production facilities, they serve as an essential local industrial partner.
- Communauté d'Agglomération d'HaguenaucoreThe Agglomeration Community of Haguenau is central to Geolith's plans as the location for the future industrial factory. Their support is essential for the construction of a net-zero factory for Li-Capt columns.
- Global LinkCorpminorChilean company with over 30 years of history engaged in sustainable development through subsidiaries including Eco Waste, Link Energy, TctLinkTech, and PUEDES. Active in Latin America with long-term clients and activities.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Geolith competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Standard Lithium: Standard Lithium is a Canadian-listed DLE-focused developer advancing the Smackover project in Arkansas, pursuing lithium extraction from brine resources using proprietary DLE processes comparable to Geolith's Li-Capt.
- Energy Exploration Technologies (EnergyX): EnergyX develops Direct Lithium Extraction and lithium refinery technologies for brine resources globally, with projects across the US, Latin America, and Australia, directly rivaling Geolith's Li-Capt in the DLE technology market.
- International Battery Metals (IBAT): IBAT offers modular Direct Lithium Extraction systems using sorbent technology for brine resources, competing with Geolith's modular Li-Capt column-and-rack deployment model on similar lithium extraction use cases.
- Lilac Solutions: Lilac Solutions is a US-based Direct Lithium Extraction technology company using ion-exchange media to extract lithium from brine resources, competing head-to-head with Geolith in the same DLE technology category and customer set.
- Sunresin New Materials: Sunresin is a leading Chinese supplier of ion-exchange resins and adsorption materials used in DLE processes, including lithium extraction from salt lake brines, making it a direct technology-and-supply competitor to Geolith's ion-sieve approach.
Others
- Koch Modular Process Systems / Koch Technology Solutions: Koch's process and separations technology groups supply modular DLE and lithium recovery systems to the global lithium industry, operating as an adjacent technology and engineering services provider to Geolith's Li-Capt licensing business.
Broad incumbents
- Albemarle Corporation: Albemarle is the world's largest lithium producer with diversified brine, hard-rock, and DLE investments, serving as a broad incumbent customer and competitor to Geolith across lithium extraction, conversion, and battery-grade production.
- Livent Corporation: Livent is a major lithium chemicals producer with brine-based assets in Argentina and a global conversion footprint, positioning it as a broad incumbent whose projects and procurement decisions shape the market Geolith's Li-Capt is targeting.
- SQM (Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile): SQM is one of the world's largest lithium brine producers, operating extensive evaporation-based extraction from the Salar de Atacama in Chile — the same lithium-from-brine market where Geolith's DLE competes for new and retrofit projects.
Regional players
- Vulcan Energy Resources: Vulcan Energy Resources is a German-Australian company producing lithium from European geothermal brines using a DLE route, addressing the same geothermal-brine lithium extraction application as Geolith but with primary focus on the Rhine Graben in Germany.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Geolith social profiles
Digital presenceGeolith compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Geolith financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Geolith leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Geolith subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Geolith funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Geolith M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Geolith
What does Geolith do?
Geolith designs, manufactures and licenses Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technology based on its proprietary Li-Capt ion sieve. The technology is delivered as modular Li-Capt Columns, Racks and Modules to recover lithium from brines (geothermal, oilfield, salar) for upstream lithium producers, energy companies and battery supply-chain players. It is also licensed to KBR as the PureLi process for global project deployment.
Is Geolith a public or private company?
Geolith is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Geolith founded?
Geolith was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Geolith based?
Geolith is headquartered in Orsay, France, in the Europe region.
How does Geolith make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Technology Licensing is the primary driver. The others are DLE Equipment and Modules and feasibility Studies and Engineering Services.
Who are Geolith's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Standard Lithium, Energy Exploration Technologies (EnergyX), International Battery Metals (IBAT), Lilac Solutions and Sunresin New Materials. Koch Modular Process Systems / Koch Technology Solutions is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Albemarle Corporation, Livent Corporation and SQM (Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile). Vulcan Energy Resources is listed as a regional player.
Does Geolith have an API?
No public API is recorded for Geolith.
What industry is Geolith in?
Geolith's product category is Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) Equipment & Technology. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAKAFAA, Lithium Mining & Brine Extraction, with a secondary code of EUAFABAA, Battery Raw Materials Mining & Refining (Lithium, Nickel, Cobalt, Manganese, Graphite). Its NAICS code is 213114 and its SIC code is 1000.