New Technology And Engineering Alliance Set To Accelerate Deployment Of Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) To Bolster Global Supply Of More Sustainable Lithium

Kurita Water Industries and Evove today announced an alliance in Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) that brings Evove’s patented DLE technologies and process together with the modular system engineering and manufacturing of Kurita.

• Alliance combines advanced technology and engineering in water treatment, applied to DLE
• Accelerated deployment of DLE anticipated, with increase in sustainable, local supplies of lithium
• First joint commercial projects commencing in November 2025

The market for lithium for electrical batteries continues to grow strongly. Analysts such as SC Insights predict that demand for EVs, portable electronics and stationary storage will double surpassing 4 million tonnes by 2030, a CAGR of 20% from 2025-2035. Volatile markets dominated by China and increasing environmental concerns have slowed down and even halted supplies from conventional sources such as mining and salt lake evaporation, creating a potential supply gap of 2-3 million tonnes of lithium.

The answer to fuelling the energy transition lies with Direct Lithium Extraction, which can be used to extract lithium from the salty waters of geothermal boreholes, aquifers and the produced water from oil & gas fields. DLE has a lower environmental footprint, is quicker to deploy and can provide transformational unit economics.

With a mission to “filter the unfilterable”, Evove has developed advanced filtration technologies that are specialised for lithium extraction. The latest deployment of Evove’s DLE solution was for Northern Lithium in the UK, where a 1:15 scale demonstration plant was operated between January and April of 2025. The outcomes confirmed the prediction that DLE at the site at Ludwell Farm in County Durham can generate 20,000+ tonnes of lithium annually, with exceptional purities and recovery rates.

Kurita Water Industries is a renowned international water treatment corporation with headquarters in Japan. In the agreement announced today, Kurita has become the largest shareholder of UK-based Evove Ltd. with the two companies forming an exclusive alliance for Kurita to deliver DLE plants with Evove technologies at their core.

The strategic alliance also secures Kurita non-exclusive access to Evove’s technologies in other market sectors, in particular the transformational Separonics product line set to be launched in 2026. These entirely 3D printed ceramic filtration modules change the unit economics of recycling challenging industrial discharges, purifying and harvesting resources from waters, and processing of food & beverages.

The CEO of Evove, Chris Wyres, stated, “We firmly believe that the key skill set needed to unlock efficient and sustainable lithium production is water treatment, which Kurita have been practising at the highest standards for 75 years. This alliance enables lithium producers to confidently source an advanced DLE solution from a veritable water industry powerhouse. We anticipate commencing engineering of the first commercial DLE plant as soon as November this year, as well as advancing multiple other key projects in the EU and USA throughout 2026.”

Kurita’s lithium leader, Hideyuki Komori, added, “We are delighted to collaborate with Evove in expanding our business into the growing DLE market. Through Evove's exceptional DLE technology and Kurita's core competencies in comprehensive water treatment technologies and water-related deep knowledge, as well as the advanced and rapid provision of modularised plant units, we aim to make significant contributions.“

Upon being informed of the news in advance, Evove’s lithium producing clients reacted positively to the news, with commentary around the increased confidence that Kurita’s involvement brings to projects, the closer proximity of executional and service support in projects further away from Evove’s home in the UK, and the expectation that even more innovation will be successfully adopted.

About Evove
Evove deploys advanced technology to reduce the cost and environmental impact of the filtration and separation of fluids in lithium, data centres and food & beverage production, as well as in desalination and the treatment of industrial water. For more information, visit https://www.dle.technology/

About Kurita Water Industries Ltd. (The Kurita Group)
Kurita Water Industries Ltd., founded in 1949 in Japan, is headquartered in the Kurita Group, which encompasses over 60 companies across Japan, Asia, EMEA including the UK, and North and South America to conduct the business globally, and has R&D bases in Japan, Germany, the United States, and Singapore. Under the corporate philosophy of “Study the properties of water, master them”, Kurita utilizes its advanced technologies and accumulated knowledge to develop water treatment solutions, such as chemicals, equipment, and maintenance services, as well as new business models, and provide them as our contribution to solving water and environmental challenges, contributing to the further development of society and industry. For more information, visit https://www.kurita-water.com/en/.