Unmet Need
The demand for lithium (Li) is rapidly increasing as their applications in energy storage increases in efficiency and popularity. It is projected that traditional lithium sources (minerals and Li-rich brines) will no longer be sufficient to meet the drastically rising demand. Alternative sources such as seawater, geothermal brines, and mine tailings are available to be explored; however, the concentration of lithium is much lower than in traditional sources, raising concerns for cost-efficiency, environmental impact, and water/energy consumption in lithium extraction, as traditional methods are already quite cumbersome and unlikely to be applicable to the alternative sources. Therefore, there is a need for a more efficient and effective means of extracting lithium from alternative sources.
Technology Overview
Inventors at Johns Hopkins have developed a novel electrochemical system that can be implemented in selective lithium-ion extractions from alternative sources with low lithium concentrations. The technology consists of three primary unit operations: 1) an electrolyzer employing a Li+-selective solid-state electrolyte membrane for conversion of Li-containing chloride solutions to lithium hydroxide and diatomic hydrogen and chlorine, 2) a proton-exchange membrane fuel cell that produces hydrochloric acid and electricity which can be used in step 1; and 3) a reactor that leaches lithium using hydrochloric acid, which can be obtained from step 2 as a byproduct. This system could close the mass balance for hydrogen and chlorine, leaving only the conversion of the lithium sources into lithium cations for battery manufacturing and other forms of energy storage.
Stage of Development
Proof of concept.
