Innovative Technology Enhances Efficiency and Quality
LibertyStream has revolutionised lithium extraction capabilities with the introduction of its Gen 6 platform. This innovative system was installed at Select Water Solutions’ facility in Howard County, Texas, in March 2026. The platform incorporates 21 months of field operations, processing more than 400,000 barrels of brine and conducting over 2,500 operating tests to refine its technology.
The Gen 6 platform reduces the cycle time from 60 minutes to just 20 minutes. This change supports lower reagent consumption, energy use, and labour costs per tonne of lithium carbonate equivalent, marking a significant improvement over the previous Gen 5 configuration.
Alex Wylie, President & CEO of LibertyStream, emphasised, “Gen 6 reflects the operating discipline and field experience LibertyStream has built over the past 21 months.” He added that the system is better positioned to meet customer needs and expand deployment across high-volume U.S. brine resources.
Enhanced Reliability and Production Quality
The Gen 6 platform integrates direct lithium extraction with rinse and acid-recovery operations, minimizing mechanical complexity and batch-related variability. It supports the production of technical- and battery-grade lithium carbonate on-site, ensuring high-quality output.
Designed to process up to 120,000 barrels of oilfield brine per day, the system can produce up to 1,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate annually. The continuous-flow model enhances reliability and operational efficiency, particularly under the challenging conditions of West Texas.
LibertyStream’s advancements align with the requirements of downstream customers and strategic partners. As a result, the company is positioned for expanded deployment and future replication in other high-volume brine resources across the United States.
Following the successful implementation at Select Water Solutions, LibertyStream is advancing customer qualification and preparing for scaled deployment. The growing demand for lithium carbonate, driven by the rise of electric vehicles and renewable energy solutions, underscores the importance of this technological advancement.
Field validation over the past 21 months has been critical. Initially, LibertyStream scaled its system three times during the first six months of field activity, leading to the commissioning of the Gen 5 platform in February 2025. Insights gained from processing over 400,000 barrels of brine have been directly applied to the Gen 6 configuration, ensuring improved recovery speed, throughput stability, and overall system reliability.
The Gen 6 system establishes the operating template for LibertyStream’s integrated extraction-and-refining system, designed to process up to 120,000 barrels of oilfield brine per day and produce up to 1,000 tonnes per annum of lithium carbonate. LibertyStream’s Gen 6 platform sets a new standard for lithium extraction, offering a sustainable and efficient solution to meet the increasing global demand for lithium used in batteries and other technologies.
LibertyStream announced that it has strengthened its Gen 6 lithium extraction platform by applying 21 months of field operations, pilot programs, and Gen 5 operating data to an improved operating configuration. The Gen 6 platform converts field learnings into faster cycle times, reduced operating variability, improved reliability, and on-site lithium carbonate production, including output supporting technical- and battery-grade applications.
“We have processed more than 400,000 barrels of brine, completed over 2,500 operating tests, and applied that data to improve recovery speed, throughput stability, reliability, and lithium carbonate quality. With the system installed at Select and production underway on site, LibertyStream is better positioned to advance customer qualification, scaled deployment, and future replication across high-volume U.S. brine resources,” noted Alex Wylie.
