Mining & Resources 2026Updated

List of Lithium Brine Extraction and Mining Companies

Comprehensive database of lithium brine extraction and mining companies worldwide, covering producers, junior explorers, and DLE technology developers across the Lithium Triangle and beyond. Built for sourcing managers, mining investors, and commodity analysts evaluating supply chain partners.

Available Data Fields

Company Name

Headquarters

Extraction Method

Project Location

Production Capacity (tpa LCE)

Resource Type

Brine Lithium Concentration

Stock Ticker

Processing Facility

Offtake Partners

Resource Estimate (Mt LCE)

Development Stage

Data Preview

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Company	Location	Extraction Method	Capacity
SQM (Sociedad Química y Minera)	Salar de Atacama, Chile	Solar Evaporation	210,000 tpa LCE
Albemarle Corporation	Silver Peak, NV, USA / Atacama, Chile	Evaporation + DLE Pilot	~85,000 tpa LCE
Ganfeng Lithium	Salar de Llullaillaco, Argentina	DLE	20,000 tpa LiCl
Eramet	Salar de Centenario, Argentina	DLE	24,000 tpa LCE
Rio Tinto Lithium (ex-Arcadium)	Salar del Hombre Muerto, Argentina	Evaporation	40,000 tpa LCE

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Lithium Brine Extraction: The Supply Chain Behind the EV Revolution

Lithium brine extraction accounts for roughly half of global lithium production, with the Lithium Triangle—Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia—holding nearly 60% of the world's known brine resources. As EV battery demand accelerates, the landscape of lithium brine producers is shifting from traditional solar evaporation toward Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technologies that promise 90%+ recovery rates and dramatically shorter processing times.

Production Landscape

Global lithium production reached 240,000 metric tons in 2024, up from 204,000 MT the prior year. Chile's Salar de Atacama remains the single largest brine operation, with SQM alone producing over 200,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent. Argentina has emerged as the fastest-growing producer, with over a dozen new brine projects advancing toward commercial production.

Region	Key Salars	Active Producers	Dominant Method
Chile	Atacama	SQM, Albemarle	Evaporation
Argentina	Hombre Muerto, Olaroz, Centenario, Llullaillaco	Rio Tinto Lithium, Allkem, Eramet, Ganfeng	Evaporation + DLE
Bolivia	Uyuni, Coipasa	YLB (state-owned)	DLE Pilot
USA	Clayton Valley, Salton Sea	Albemarle, Berkshire Hathaway Energy	Evaporation + DLE
China	Zabuye, Qarhan	Tibetan Summit, CITIC Guoan	Evaporation

The DLE Disruption

Direct Lithium Extraction is reshaping the competitive landscape. Unlike evaporation ponds that require 12–18 months and vast land areas, DLE processes lithium in days to weeks with up to 50% higher efficiency. Key milestones in 2024–2025:

Eramet Centenario (Argentina): First European company to achieve industrial-scale DLE production—24,000 tpa capacity with 90% lithium recovery rate, powered by a 120 MW off-grid solar farm.
Ganfeng Mariana (Argentina): $790M investment producing 20,000 tpa lithium chloride from the Llullaillaco salt flat, fully operational since February 2025.
Lilac Solutions (USA): Developed ion-exchange bead technology with 2,000+ cycle durability, partnering with Lake Resources for their Kachi project in Argentina.

Key Considerations for Buyers

Procurement decisions in lithium brine hinge on several factors beyond price: brine chemistry (magnesium-to-lithium ratios vary from 1:1 to 19:1, directly impacting processing costs), water rights and environmental compliance, and geopolitical stability of operating jurisdictions. Battery-grade lithium carbonate (99.5%+ purity) commands a premium, and not all brine operations meet this threshold without further refining.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q.Does this dataset include both brine and hard-rock lithium producers?

The primary focus is brine extraction and DLE companies, but producers operating both brine and hard-rock assets (e.g., Albemarle, Ganfeng) are included with their brine operations detailed.

Q.How is production capacity data sourced?

When you request the full dataset, our AI crawls public sources including company filings, annual reports, investor presentations, and mining authority records to compile current capacity figures. Data reflects publicly available information at the time of your request.

Q.Are junior exploration-stage companies included?

Yes. The dataset covers the full spectrum from producing mines to advanced exploration projects with published resource estimates, so you can evaluate the future supply pipeline alongside current producers.

Q.Can I filter by specific brine chemistry or lithium concentration?

Yes. You can specify parameters like minimum lithium concentration in brine (ppm), magnesium-to-lithium ratio, or target product type (carbonate vs. hydroxide vs. chloride) when customizing your request.

Q.What geographies are covered?

Global coverage including the Lithium Triangle (Chile, Argentina, Bolivia), North America (USA, Canada), China, and emerging regions such as the East African Rift and European geothermal brine projects.