From Gold to Lithium: Almajal Alaali Corporation Becomes the GCC’s First Saudi Company Pioneering DLE and Critical-Mineral Recovery for the Energy Transition

Eng. Ahmed Baali, Executive Director at Almajal Alaali Corporation

Almajal Alaali Corporation has become the first Saudi company in the GCC to pioneer Direct Lithium Extraction and critical mineral recovery as the world pursues a greener future.

As the world shifts toward a cleaner, electrified future, lithium — the planet’s new “white gold” — has become essential for batteries, electric vehicles, and renewable-energy storage. At the crossroads of precious metals expertise and technological innovation, Almajal Alaali Corp. seeks to advance Saudi Arabia’s role in the new energy era through the development of technologies for extracting critical minerals from geothermal brine, oilfield produced water, and salt-lake (salar) resources.

From gold heritage to future metals

With a legacy spanning more than 75 years, Almajal Alaali Corp. traces its roots to the Baali family, one of Saudi Arabia’s established names in the gold and jewelry trade since the 1950s. Building on this heritage, the group has evolved into a diversified company in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which includes Jawhara Baali Gold Jewelry & Precious Metals Est. and Precious Metals AAB for Mining Co.

Its trademarks — Skyper Chemics™, GOLD &™, and BAALI 1950™ — represent a portfolio extending into chemicals, specialty lubricants, sustainability, environmental, refining, advanced material technologies, and general trading.

The group has expanded into FinTech with the launch of Kasoob Digital in Dubai, co-founded with H.H. Sheikh Mana bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, pioneering blockchain innovation and tokenized commodity trading, including precious metals-backed cryptocurrencies. It has also ventured into jewelry e-commerce and gold-backed lending through its upcoming digital platform GOLD &™, while expanding its interests in the real estate sector.

Almajal Alaali Corp. serves major enterprises, including Saudi Aramco, as well as leading firms across the GCC region, and partners with international companies worldwide. The company’s initiatives reflect Saudi Arabia’s growing commitment to technological sovereignty and sustainable resource development.

Saudi DLE technology

Almajal Alaali Corp. is the first Saudi company in the GCC to pioneer Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) from brine using lithium-sorbent technology developed under exclusive industrial collaboration and localization frameworks. The process efficiently recovers lithium from geothermal brines and oilfield produced water.

Its unique high-selectivity adsorbent provides strong capacity, exceptional attrition resistance, and adaptability across a wide range of salinity levels. It is capable of recovering lithium from brine feeds with concentrations ranging from as low as 2 ppm, demonstrating technical capability, to more than 800 ppm under commercially scalable conditions. Regeneration is achieved using deionized water instead of acid, minimizing environmental impact and cost while ensuring a long service life that outperforms conventional ion exchange and membrane-based systems.

The company operates a mobile pilot plant, mounted within standard 20-ft containers, with a processing capacity of 375 bbl/d of brine feedstock, achieving over 98 % lithium recovery and producing battery-grade lithium-carbonate powder with a purity of ≥ 99.5 %. The modular, closed-loop, plug-and-play system occupies a footprint of approximately 300 m². It can be easily deployed at designated sites to replicate full-scale DLE operations and collect real performance data for industrial expansion. It is designed to achieve optimal equipment sizing and reduced CAPEX too.

Technological expansion

Almajal Alaali Corp. is also the first in the GCC to localize lithium-sorbent production, establishing a domestic manufacturing base for high-performance materials that supports technology transfer and R&D collaboration. Beyond lithium, the company is developing technologies for iodine, boron, and other critical minerals. It is exploring strategic collaboration with leading local EPC contractors for future industrial-scale facilities.

Precious metals innovation

In parallel, the company is developing in-house technologies for precious metal recovery within its jewelry manufacturing operations. As part of its vertical integration strategy, Precious Metals AAB for Mining Co. is advancing plans to establish an advanced gold, silver, platinum, and palladium refinery in Jeddah – Saudi Arabia, aligned with London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) accreditation and regional standards. The project also includes establishing a metal trading desk to support transparent and compliant international precious metal markets.

The thoughts expressed in this advertorial are solely those of the client.

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