Licube's bid to make exceptionally pure lithium a specialty material
Licube is trying to turn lithium refining into a specialty-material business. The Houston-based company says it has begun pilot production of ultra-high-purity lithium carbonate and offers samples for prospective industrial buyers to evaluate. Licube targets uses including optical materials, aerospace alloys and advanced batteries. A sample gives a prospective buyer a way to test the material against its own specifications before committing to a larger purchase.
A material buyers can test
Licube says its carbonate reaches at least 99.995% purity, a specification it calls 4N5. Its website lists a one-kilogram product for preorder and says sample quantities are available; completed customer deliveries have not been independently established.
The company uses electrodialysis, a process that moves charged particles through a membrane. Licube's membrane is designed to transport lithium ions selectively, separating them from impurities.
The company is also researching lithium isotope separation on the same technology platform. That is a separate research activity from its carbonate offer.
A place after extraction
Licube's immediate commercial proposition is the material itself: a specialty lithium product offered to organizations that need to evaluate purity for their applications. The company also describes a possible role earlier in the supply chain.
In a 2025 article, Licube described placing refining equipment alongside direct lithium extraction projects. In that proposed arrangement, an extraction operator would supply lithium-bearing material and Licube's process would refine it into high-purity lithium hydroxide near the source.