A team of researchers in Australia has developed a technology that could revolutionize the lithium mining industry, making it faster, cheaper, and most importantly, cleaner.
The need for lithium continues to skyrocket as the world moves toward an electric future. Unfortunately, the current process for mining lithium requires the use of a lot of water — about 500,000 gallons for each ton of lithium.
Furthermore, the process uses chemicals like hydrochloric acid and sodium carbonate that can be harmful to the surrounding environment — and often a certain level of dirty energy.
Having said that, according to estimates, the current process of mining lithium is still much less harmful than the processes of extracting oil, coal, and natural gas from the earth. The newly developed technology will only widen that gap.
According to Interesting Engineering, researchers at ElectraLith, a startup backed by Monash University, have developed Direct Lithium Extraction and Refining (DLE-R) technology that requires no water, no harmful chemicals, and what little energy it needs can be provided by clean energy sources, per the university press release.
The researchers developed a membrane, first introduced in the summer of 2023, that allows them to skip the most harmful steps in the process. Right now, one method of lithium extraction involves pumping brine into large ponds where the water is allowed to evaporate, leaving behind lithium salts. Chemicals are then used to purify the lithium, as the news outlet detailed.
With the DLE-R process, the lithium-rich brines are pumped to the surface where the membrane absorbs the lithium ions, which are then purified. No water evaporation or added chemicals are necessary. A test run at the Paradox Basin in Utah produced 99.9% pure lithium oxide.
Besides the clear environmental benefits of the DLE-R technology, according to Monash University, it could cut lithium production costs by up to 40%. It is fair to speculate this may eventually lead to lower costs for technologies that depend on lithium-ion batteries, like electric vehicles, which are better for the planet and are typically less expensive to maintain and power than gas-powered vehicles.
The positive impact of this development can't be overstated. It will allow for lithium mining in areas where water is scarce without wasting that precious resource. On top of that, lithium extraction won't depend so heavily on dirty energy, which creates carbon pollution, leading to the overheating of the planet.
Similar methods are being used by research teams in the United States and Europe, with lithium extracted from existing geothermal plants before returning the water to the earth.
"We're unlocking a green future with the cleanest, most versatile, and most cost-efficient method of extracting and refining lithium, the fundamental element of a sustainable future," the ElectraLith website states.
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