The process achieves a 90-% lithium recovery rate, which significantly exceeds the performance of conventional methods and shortens the extraction time from years to weeks.
Silver Peak lithium mine, Nevada, USA.
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Researchers at Monash University in Australia have developed a new technique for the simultaneous extraction of lithium and magnesium from difficult brine environments. This is a type of nanofiltration that uses a selective chelating agent to separate lithium from other minerals, especially magnesium – the specific name is EALNF (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-assisted loose nanofiltration). The lithium recovery rate achieved with the method is said to be 90 %.
"High-altitude salt brine flats in countries like China (Tibet and Qinghai) and Bolivia are examples of areas with tougher brine conditions that have traditionally been ignored," says Dr. Zhikao Li of the Monash Suzhou Research Institute. In remote desert areas, the quantities of water, chemicals and infrastructure required for conventional extraction are not available. With the EALNF technique, these could now become commercially viable sources of lithium. The time required for extraction should also be reduced "from years to weeks".
Fresh water as a by-product
In addition to its efficiency, the EALNF method is expected to promote new developments to solve environmental problems associated with lithium extraction. One such problem is already solved by the technology itself: in contrast to conventional methods, which sometimes deplete water resources in dry regions, EALNF produces fresh water as a by-product.
According to Li, the system is flexible and ready for large-scale deployment, and could quickly move from the testing phase to full-scale industrial operation. "This breakthrough is crucial for avoiding a future lithium shortage, making it possible to access lithium from hard-to-reach sources and helping power the shift to clean energy," said Li.
This is a partly automated translation of this german article.
