A new extraction technique developed by MIT researchers and Rock Zero uses ammonium fluoride to dissolve silicate minerals in spodumene ore at temperatures below 95 °C, recovering lithium carbonate alongside alumina and cementitious silica while recycling the acid reagent (MIT Technology Review, 28 May 2026).

The approach eliminates the conventional 1,000-plus °C kiln roast required for phase transformation in hard-rock processing, a step that currently accounts for significant energy input and excludes high-iron ores; related electrochemical silica work at Sublime Systems provided the initial reactive-material pathway (Chiang et al., cited in MIT Technology Review; Sublime Systems technical disclosures, 2024). Brine-based direct lithium extraction pilots by Standard Lithium and Lilac Solutions remain geographically constrained, whereas this method applies to widely distributed pegmatites and co-produces industrial minerals that offset costs.

Primary-source reporting does not quantify fluoride handling at scale or long-term reagent losses, nor does it benchmark against emerging sulfate-free hydrometallurgy routes published in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering (2025); full techno-economic modeling and pilot data are still required before supply-chain displacement claims can be validated.