Home / Science / Revolutionary Solvent Promises Abundant Lithium Supply
Revolutionary Solvent Promises Abundant Lithium Supply
6 Nov
Summary
- Engineers developed a new solvent for lithium extraction.
- Solvent efficiently separates lithium from sodium and potassium.
- New method could unlock lithium from untapped sources like Salton Sea.
Engineers at Columbia University have demonstrated a new method for extracting lithium from brine, bypassing traditional solar evaporation and hard-rock mining techniques. The developed solvent selectively absorbs lithium at room temperature and releases it upon slight warming, a process that can be powered by waste heat or solar collectors.
This innovative solvent shows a strong preference for lithium over other metals like sodium and potassium, even when lithium is scarce. It also effectively removes magnesium, a common contaminant. While initial tests show approximately 40% lithium recovery after four reuse cycles, researchers are optimistic about improving efficiency.
The technology, detailed in the journal Joule, is currently a proof of concept tested in a lab. The team is seeking industry partners to explore its scalability and performance with real-world brines, potentially unlocking vast lithium resources like those present in California's Salton Sea, estimated to be sufficient for over 370 million electric vehicle batteries.
