A new technology could change the face of lithium mining and extraction for the better while making it more accessible and affordable as we continue to push for green energy.
According to a report from Anthropocene Magazine, a group of Stanford University scientists led by Yi Cui have uncovered a new means of separating lithium from other elements, which requires less space, energy, and time and is incredibly effective.
Currently, lithium extraction from brines involves evaporating salts laced with the metal in massive ponds. Per the report, this method is expensive and time-consuming, and it takes up a ton of land while leaving behind unusable waste.
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There is a growing movement to shift to direct lithium extraction, which involves using materials that selectively soak up lithium to collect the precious metal essential to the creation of many batteries used in electric vehicles, cell phones, and many other modern devices.
This is where Yi Cui's team's breakthrough comes in. Their lab uses electrodialysis, a process in which ions are transported through a lithium-selective membrane via an applied electric field.
In their system, two opposite reactions occur on either side of the membrane. On one side is a hydrogen evolution reaction, and on the other is hydrogen oxidation. Lithium passes through the membrane and collects on the evolution side until it can be harvested.
The reactor showed continuous lithium extraction for over 100 hours, has a lithium selectivity (meaning it is the only thing pulled out from the reaction) of 100%, and only uses 10% of the electricity that current electrodialysis methods do, all according to the Anthropocene report. The researchers say that this could cut the cost of a ton of extracted lithium from $9,100 to just $3,500-$4,400.
Lithium batteries have long been a staple of green tech. Recently, Chinese scientists created a new design that could significantly extend the life span of the technology. Another company discovered that lithium could be recovered from old batteries, producing green hydrogen in the process.
University of Hong Kong scientists also made a breakthrough that allows for lithium batteries to be used in high-temperature situations, making them more versatile and giving more ability to experiment with new varieties.
Given the preponderance of lithium needed in the booming EV market alone, much less other technology, the new cost-effective, environmentally friendly means of mining the precious metal could very well be a game-changer, assuming it can be further developed and scaled up, per the Stanford Report.
"The benefits to efficiency and cost innate to our approach make it a promising alternative to current extraction techniques and a potential game changer for the lithium supply chain," said Cui, according to the Stanford publication.
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