Lithium is primarily extracted from hard rock (spodumene ore)Spodumeneusing hydrometallurgyHydrometallurgy or from salar brinesBrine using solar evaporation techniques. The main desirable products are lithium hydroxideLithium hydroxideand lithium carbonateLithium carbonate salts. These salts are available in various grades, ranging from crude to superior. The main difference between these grades is the minimum lithiumLithium content and the maximum tolerable impuritiesImpurities. Impurities influence production processes, cathode quality and performance, and, most importantly, safety. Most lithium battery faults originate from the presence of impuritiesImpurities. This, coupled with production processes and safety aspects, puts pressure on material purity, with a focus on trace elements’ characteristics and their content. The total impurity is usually defined as the sum of impurities and contaminants. Today, there is extensive research and development activity on alternative lithiumLithium extraction processes, including the recyclingRecyclingofLithium-ion batterieslithium-ion batteriesBatteries, lithium extraction from clays, and direct lithium extraction from various types of brinesBrine (salar, geothermal, petro, and produced water). As these new sources of lithiumLithium are explored, it is crucial to understand the impurity profiles in the lithium streamsLithium streams, as most companies aim to produce/sell battery-grade lithiumLithium salts. Certain players may not achieve this due to a lack of technical know-how and the inability to invest in additional purificationPurification capital expenditure (capex). However, they may consider selling an intermediate product to an off-taker, which may be an established lithium company or even a centralized lithium refineryLithium refinery. ImpuritiesImpurities will play a significant role in determining payablesPayables received from refineries (off-takers), as lithiumLithiumstreamsLithium streams with high impurities will receive very low payables, thereby affecting the economics of the intermediate producers.