New method of mining lithium in salt water lakes

A research team at Monash University and the University of Queensland, Australia, developed a method that allows direct extraction of lithium from harsh environments, Interesting Engineering reported on October 23. The new method, called EDTA-Assisted Liquid Nanofiltration (EALNF), is faster and more sustainable than traditional methods. Research published in the journal Nature Sustainability.

As an important resource in energy storage solutions, lithium is abundant on Earth, but the mining process consumes a lot of water, harming ecosystems and communities. These methods also do not work with lithium from salt water sources. As a result, about 75% of the world’s lithium reserves are currently underutilized.

China and Bolivia have huge lithium reserves. However, due to harsh conditions, the high-altitude saltwater lakes of these two countries have not been exploited. Traditional lithium mining involves separating magnesium from lithium, consuming a lot of energy and time. Magnesium concentrations in saltwater lakes at high altitudes are very high, making lithium mining even more difficult.

“The huge amount of water, chemicals and infrastructure needed for traditional mining are not available, demonstrating the need for innovative technologies,” said expert Zikhao Li at Monash University, a member of the team. research and comments.

EALNF helps solve the problem by mining magnesium along with lithium instead of separating it as waste. The nanofiltration process then uses a colloid to separate the magnesium from the lithium. Magnesium after separation is of high quality and can be sold as a valuable by-product along with lithium.

“The new technology achieves a lithium recovery efficiency of 90%, nearly double the efficiency of traditional methods, and significantly reduces the extraction time, from several years to just a few weeks,” Li added.

Another advantage is that while traditional methods use fresh water, leading to depletion of water resources, EALNF produces fresh water as a by-product. The new method is also flexible and rapidly scalable. This means that the process from testing to industrial-scale deployment will not take many years.

“With Monash University’s EALNF technology, high-altitude saltwater lakes can now become a commercially viable source of lithium and contribute to the global supply chain. This breakthrough is vital in avoiding shortages lithium future, making lithium accessible from hard-to-reach sources and promoting the transition to clean energy,” Li shared.