MIT researchers unveil a low-energy, circular process to extract lithium from hard rock

MIT researchers have developed a room-temperature, low-energy, closed-loop method that dissolves spodumene using an ammonium fluoride-water mix to release lithium, aluminum, and silica, with reagents recovered for reuse to nearly zero waste. The process could halve hard‑rock lithium extraction costs and be competitive with brine methods, demonstrated across 17 spodumene sources and moving toward commercialization via Rock Zero (MIT spinout); the work, published in Science, aims to boost onshore critical-mineral supply for batteries.