Geolith

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).

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

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

• Direct lithium extraction
• Lithium ion sieves
• Brine processing equipment
• Lithium extraction modules
• DLE columns

Headquarters

HQ city

Orsay

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Technology Licensing: KBR serves as exclusive global licensor of Li-Capt technology, generating licensing royalties from technology deployment worldwide.
2. 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.
3. Feasibility Studies and Engineering Services: Preliminary laboratory testing, pilot demonstration studies, FEED (Front End Engineering Design), and EPC services supporting project development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core 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

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• KBRcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2024Exclusive 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.
• EurodiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEurodia 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.
• TronoxminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTronox 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'HaguenaucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 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 LinkCorpminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChilean 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

Direct 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

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/geolith
• Xx.com/Geolith_

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Geolith