Watercycle Technologies Secures £3 Million UK Grant for Lithium Recovery

Watercycle Technologies Secures £3 Million Grant

Watercycle Technologies lithium recovery is set to advance through a £3 million grant awarded by the UK Government toward a £6 million project focused on producing battery-grade lithium at scale in the UK. The funding has been provided through the DRIVE35 Scale Up Fund and will support a 36-month programme led by Watercycle Technologies. The ReLiVE project, formally titled Recover, Refine, Recharge: Scaling Lithium Extraction from Wastewater for UK Battery Production, is scheduled to begin in April 2027. The initiative is intended to demonstrate how lithium can be recovered from waste streams and converted into high-purity materials suitable for electric vehicle battery applications.

ReLiVE Project Targets Lithium Recovery From Waste

The ReLiVE project will design, build and operate a new pilot-to-demonstration-scale lithium production facility in the United Kingdom. The facility will use Watercycle Technologies’ proprietary DLEC technology to recover lithium from sources that would otherwise be treated as waste. These sources include industrial wastewater and lithium-bearing materials generated through battery recycling. By combining lithium extraction with subsequent refining, the project aims to produce high-purity lithium salts that can meet requirements for use in electric vehicle batteries. The development is therefore focused on demonstrating a scalable domestic pathway for recovering and refining lithium from secondary and industrial waste streams.

Technology and Strategic Importance

The project is being led by Watercycle Technologies and is designed to demonstrate the company’s DLEC technology at a larger operational scale. Its approach combines recovery of lithium from wastewater and battery-recycling materials with downstream refining into high-purity lithium salts. The 36-month programme is intended to establish how these processes can operate within a dedicated production facility rather than only at smaller development stages. By targeting waste-derived lithium for battery production, ReLiVE links resource recovery with the supply requirements of electric vehicle batteries while supporting the development of lithium production capacity within the UK.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the ReLiVE project led by Watercycle Technologies?
The ReLiVE project is a 36-month programme designed to demonstrate scalable lithium recovery from wastewater and battery-recycling materials for UK battery production. It will be led by Watercycle Technologies and begin in April 2027. Supported by £3 million in UK Government grant funding toward a £6 million project, the initiative will develop a pilot-to-demonstration-scale facility using proprietary DLEC technology. The recovered lithium will be refined into high-purity lithium salts intended for electric vehicle battery applications, providing a route to convert waste-derived lithium resources into usable battery materials.