VULSORB®

To efficiently produce lithium from subsurface brine, Vulcan has developed its own in-house aluminate-based sorbent VULSORB® to capture the lithium before the brine is returned to the subsurface.

The technology powering Europe's next generation of lithium production.

VULSORB® is our proprietary lithium extraction technology, developed to redefine how lithium is produced for the energy transition.

Purpose-built for geothermal lithium brines, VULSORB® selectively captures lithium from naturally heated subsurface brine before the brine is returned underground, creating a closed-loop process.

Our VULSORB® technology forms the foundation of our business and will be deployed at our flagship Project Lionheart and future phases planned across the Upper Rhine Valley Brine Field.

VULSORB® has been extensively tested and optimised through laboratory and optimisation scale over multiple years and thousands of operating cycles.

Designed for performance

At its core, VULSORB® is a high-performance lithium adsorbent engineered to selectively capture lithium ions while rejecting unwanted impurities.

The technology delivers:

High lithium extraction efficiency exceeding 95%

Highly selective production of a high-purity lithium chloride concentrate

Reduced water consumption compared with conventional extraction technologies

Low reagent consumption and waste generation

Compatibility with a wide range of lithium-bearing brines

Optimised performance in naturally heated geothermal systems.

Proven technology. Proprietary advantage.

Adsorption-type Direct Lithium Extraction is not a new concept. The technology has been used commercially for more than two decades and today underpins approximately 10% of global lithium production. What sets VULSORB® apart is Vulcan's ability to develop, optimise and own the technology in-house.

VULSORB® combines the proven reliability of commercial A-DLE technology with proprietary performance enhancements developed by Vulcan's technical team. The result is a lithium extraction platform designed for today's rapidly evolving battery materials market, where purity, cost, sustainability and supply chain security increasingly determine success.

Importantly, VULSORB® is one of the few commercially scalable adsorption-based lithium extraction technologies supported by a multi-faceted intellectual property portfolio and manufacturing supply chain. As demand for independent critical minerals supply chains continues to grow, this creates a strategic advantage for both Vulcan and future technology partners.

VULSORB® Summary Presentation Q2, 2025

Vulcan is driving the future of lithium production. By combining environmentally friendly Adsorption-Type Direct Lithium Extraction with a renewable heat source, we achieve highly efficient, low-cost and lithium production. With our proprietary lithium extraction technology VULSORB®, we optimise this process further.

Discover more about our approach in our latest VULSORB® Summary Presentation.

VULSORB® Summary Presentation

Built in-house.
Proven through thousands of cycles.

5,000+

Continuous operating cycles

20+

Years of proven A-DLE technology

10%

Of global lithium production

95%

Lithium extraction efficiency

From brine to battery-quality lithium

Vulcan is already producing battery-quality lithium chemicals in Europe.

We’ve established an integrated, optimisation-scale lithium supply chain in Germany, taking lithium from geothermal brine through extraction and processing to the production of battery-quality lithium hydroxide monohydrate, also known as LHM.

At our upstream lithium extraction optimisation plant, lithium is selectively extracted from geothermal brine using our proprietary VULSORB® technology to produce a high-quality lithium chloride solution. This is then transferred to our downstream lithium chemical optimisation plant in Frankfurt, where it is converted into battery-quality LHM.

This is significant because our process is not simply being proven in the laboratory. Our optimisation plants use industrial-scale equipment and are already producing battery-quality lithium chemicals for customer samples and stockpiling, while providing a platform for continued process optimisation and personnel training.

For Vulcan, this represents an important step in moving from development to commercial production: we have demonstrated the ability to take lithium from a European geothermal brine source and turn it into a battery-quality lithium chemical using an integrated process in Europe.

“We’re not waiting to prove we can produce battery-quality lithium. We’re already doing it.”

Built for growth

VULSORB® is more than a technology. It is a platform for growth.

With commercial production of VULSORB® now underway in Germany and increasing industry interest in Direct Lithium Extraction technologies, we are positioned not only as a lithium producer, but as a technology leader helping shape the future of lithium supply.

VULTEC

VULTEC is our dedicated technology arm. Built around VULSORB®, VULTEC brings together our intellectual property and technical expertise to provide an integrated technology solution spanning sorbent supply, process design, licencing and technical services.

Through VULTEC, our technology has the potential to be selectively licenced to third-party lithium brine projects globally, extending the value of our technology and expertise beyond the Upper Rhine Valley Brine Field.

“The world's energy transition starts with the materials that make it possible. Vulcan is proud to be at the forefront of a new generation of lithium production, supplying Europe with the critical mineral needed to power cleaner transport, renewable energy and industrial innovation.”

Cris Moreno, ManagingDirector and CEO

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