Element3 turns oilfield wastewater into lithium for EV batteries in Texas

Houston-based Element3 has opened a 6,000-square-foot lithium extraction plant in Midland, Texas, filtering brine pulled up during oil drilling. The facility can produce up to 3,000 tons of lithium per year and is the first new U.S. lithium extraction site since the 1960s.

• Midland plant can produce up to 3,000 tons of lithium a year
• Permian Basin water is five times saltier than today's oceans
• Element3 has raised over $20 million and employs 15 people
• The only existing U.S. lithium mine in Nevada yields about 5,000 tons annually