One World Lithium DLCE nanobubble trials: process and scale-up notes for engineers
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan

First reported on MINING.com
30 Second Briefing
One World Lithium has delivered Moleaer industrial nanobubble generators to laboratories at the University of California, Irvine and the University of British Columbia to advance its single-step direct lithium carbonation extraction (DLCE) process. The collaboration aims to move from bench-scale to a mobile, containerised pilot plant at Moleaer’s Los Angeles facilities by early 2027, using CO₂ nanobubble extraction on natural brines to produce direct lithium carbonate and co-produce sodium, calcium, magnesium and potassium carbonates. Phase 2 lab work will test lithium-bearing clays, targeting acid-free extraction without sulphuric acid, soda ash, sorbents or multi-stage concentration.
Technical Brief
- Moleaer’s industrial nanobubble generators are now installed on-site at both UCI and UBC laboratories.
- Two patent-pending DLCE applications were secured from earlier bench-scale work completed by June 2023.
- UBC and UCI were formally engaged in June 2026 to collaborate with Moleaer on DLCE R&D.
- Research methods include continuous laboratory testing on natural brines and lithium-bearing clays using CO₂ nanobubble contactors.
- Phase 2 clay work focuses on formulating lithium slurries and testing carbonate production under varied operating conditions.
- Process design intentionally excludes sulphuric acid, soda ash, sorbents and multi-stage concentration, targeting simplified flowsheets.
Our Take
Lithium and lithium carbonate pieces in our database increasingly sit at the intersection of 'Research' and 'Sustainability' tags, signalling that lab-scale separation technologies like OWL’s DLCE are becoming a key competitive lever rather than a side-stream R&D activity.
The presence of sodium, calcium, magnesium and potassium in the chemistry focus aligns with other brine-processing items in our database, where operators are looking to monetise or at least neutralise multi-ion streams, suggesting DLCE’s commercial success may hinge on how it handles these co-ions rather than lithium alone.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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