Exxon Evaluates Lithium Extracted From Brine
- Process is less emissions-intensive than mining, Exxon says
- Evaluation comes after company held automaker supply talks
A Horizontal Gas Drilling Rig outside Waynesburg, Pennsylvania.
Photographer: Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Exxon Mobil Corp. is experimenting with the extraction of lithium from subsurface brine as the largest US oil company explores ways it can enter the market for the battery metal.
While its lithium activities are at an early stage, production of the metal at scale would be a big business even for a company of Exxon’s size. The metal is crucial component in electric vehicle batteries and long-term projections point to a looming global supply deficit.