DuPont has introduced a direct lithium extraction (DLE) portfolio that integrates adsorption, membrane separation and ion exchange technologies into a single process platform designed to improve lithium recovery from a wide range of brine compositions. The portfolio includes more than 20 products that support extraction, purification and concentration steps throughout the lithium recovery process.

Unlike conventional lithium production methods that rely on hard rock mining or evaporation ponds, DLE uses chemical separation technologies to selectively recover lithium from brine. The approach can reduce processing time and improve resource utilization while providing greater flexibility for producers working with varying brine chemistries.

The portfolio includes lithium-selective sorbents, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes, ultrafiltration modules and ion exchange resins that can be deployed individually or integrated into a complete process flowsheet. According to DuPont, the technologies are designed to improve lithium recovery, purity and concentration while allowing process designs to be adapted to specific feed compositions and operating conditions.

Martin Deetz, senior R&D laureate for DuPont Water Solutions, said in a statement that DLE performance depends heavily on factors such as brine composition, temperature and competing ions. He said integrating multiple separation technologies into a single process design enables engineers to optimize overall recovery rather than evaluating individual unit operations independently.

In addition to the technologies, DuPont provides laboratory testing, process modeling and pilot-scale support to help customers evaluate performance using site-specific brine samples before commercial deployment. The company said these capabilities are intended to shorten development timelines and improve confidence during process scale-up.

The launch also builds on DuPont's broader efforts to strengthen its research and development capabilities. In May, the company announced a collaboration with AI platform Uncountable to standardize experimental data and expand digital lab workflows as part of its "AI-ready labs" initiative. DuPont said the effort is designed to accelerate product development and improve R&D productivity across its innovation portfolio.