Direct lithium extraction company whose ion exchange media pulls lithium from brine without evaporation ponds, now developing its own Great Salt Lake project.
Founded by David Snydacker, Lilac makes proprietary ion exchange media (IXM) — now at Gen 5 — that extracts lithium from brines as dilute as 69 mg/L. It completed a commercial IXM manufacturing line in Fernley, Nevada in 2026 with 200 tonnes/year of capacity, and has run demonstration plants in Argentina (91% recovery from 300 mg/L brine) and a European pilot with Neptune Energy on oilfield brine in Germany. Lilac has shifted from pure licensing to owning projects: it selected Hatch as EPCM for a Phase 1 commercial lithium carbonate facility on Utah's Great Salt Lake in June 2026 targeting first production in 2028, and was selected for a $100M DOE award in August 2026. It has raised over $315M, including a $145M Series C led by Mercuria and Lowercarbon Capital, with Breakthrough Energy Ventures, BMW i Ventures and Mitsubishi Corporation among backers.
- Headquarters
- Oakland, CA
- Business model
- Manufacturing
- Ownership
- Series C
- Founded
- 2016
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