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Element3 and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been awarded a 2026 Excellence in Technology Transfer Award by the Federal Laboratory Consortium, recognizing our partnership to transform oil & gas wastewater into battery-grade lithium for U.S. energy security.
Partnership recognized for transforming oil and gas wastewater into battery-grade lithium to strengthen U.S. energy security
FORT WORTH, Texas, March 17, 2026 — Element3 and the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have been awarded a 2026 Excellence in Technology Transfer Award by the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer (FLC) for their joint work on "Transforming Secondary Wastewater Sources into Battery-Grade Lithium for Energy Security."
The FLC Awards are among the most prestigious honors in federal technology transfer, recognizing outstanding partnerships that successfully move innovations from government laboratories into the marketplace. The FLC represents more than 300 federal laboratories, agencies, and research centers nationwide. Award recipients will be honored at the 2026 FLC Awards Ceremony on May 13 during the FLC National Meeting in Seattle, Washington.
Element3's proprietary extraction process builds on a suite of seven lithium recovery technologies, including membrane extraction techniques and novel separation methods, developed by scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory through DOE's Critical Materials Innovation Hub. Element3 has substantially advanced, patented, and commercialized these foundational technologies through years of additional development and engineering, culminating in the first lithium carbonate produced at scale from Permian Basin oil and gas wastewater.
"This award is a testament to what happens when world-class federal research meets private sector urgency," said Hood Whitson, Founder and CEO of Element3. "The scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory laid the scientific foundation, and our team has worked relentlessly to turn that science into commercial-scale production. Together, we're proving that technology transfer can move at the speed the country needs."
The partnership between ORNL and Element3 represents a model for how federally funded research can directly address strategic national priorities. The United States currently sources less than 2% of its lithium domestically, while demand for lithium-ion batteries, critical to electric vehicles, energy storage, consumer electronics, and national defense, is projected to grow five- to tenfold in the coming decade.
Element3 recently announced the successful production of lithium carbonate from its 3,000 ton-per-annum facility in Midland, Texas, the first new domestic lithium mining project to reach market in the United States in half a century. The company's approach leverages existing oil and gas infrastructure in the Permian Basin, where over one billion gallons of produced water are generated daily, representing one of the largest untapped lithium resources in the nation.
About Element3
Element3, through its proprietary, patented technology, extracts lithium from oil and gas wastewater, building a new domestic supply chain of critical minerals for American reindustrialization and defense. Founded in 2021 and based in Fort Worth, Texas, Element3 is in first commercial production as of the first quarter of 2026. Learn more at www.element3.io.
About Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is the largest U.S. Department of Energy science and energy laboratory, conducting basic and applied research to deliver transformative solutions to compelling problems in energy and security. ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle, LLC for the DOE's Office of Science.
About the Federal Laboratory Consortium
The Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer is a formally chartered, nationwide network of more than 300 federal laboratories, agencies, and research centers that fosters commercialization strategies and opportunities for accelerating federal technologies into the marketplace.
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