The electrochemical cell designed by the KAUST team separates lithium ions from seawater while also producing valuable hydrogen and chlorine gas.
Credit Li et al. (2021). Published by The Royal Society of Chemistry
The system offers an economical way to source essential battery material
Lithium is a vital element in the batteries that power electric vehicles, but soaring lithium demand is expected to exhaust land-based reserves by 2080. KAUST researchers have now developed an economically viable system that can extract high-purity lithium from seawater.
The oceans contain about 5,000 times more lithium than the land but at extremely low concentrations of about 0.2 parts per million (ppm). Larger ions, including sodium, magnesium and potassium, are all present in seawater at much higher concentrations; however, previous research efforts to tease lithium from this mixture have yielded little.
The KAUST team solved this problem with an electrochemical cell containing a ceramic membrane made from lithium lanthanum titanium oxide (LLTO). Its crystal structure contains holes just wide enough to let lithium ions pass through while blocking larger metal ions. “LLTO membranes have never been used to extract and concentrate lithium ions before,” says postdoc Zhen Li, who developed the cell.
The cell contains three compartments. Seawater flows into a central feed chamber, where positive lithium ions pass through the LLTO membrane into a side compartment that contains a buffer solution and a copper cathode coated with platinum and ruthenium. Meanwhile, negative ions exit the feed chamber through a standard anion exchange membrane, passing into a third compartment containing a sodium chloride solution and a platinum-ruthenium anode.
The researchers tested the system using seawater from the Red Sea. At a voltage of 3.25V, the cell generates hydrogen gas at the cathode and chlorine gas at the anode. This drives the transport of lithium through the LLTO membrane, where it accumulates in the side-chamber. This lithium-enriched water then becomes the feedstock for four more cycles of processing, eventually reaching a concentration of more than 9,000 ppm. Adjusting the pH of this solution delivers solid lithium phosphate that contains mere traces of other metal ions — pure enough to meet battery manufacturers’ requirements.
The researchers estimate that the cell would need only US$5 of electricity to extract 1 kilogram of lithium from seawater. The value of hydrogen and chlorine produced by the cell would more than offset this cost, and residual seawater could also be used in desalination plants to provide freshwater.
“We will continue optimizing the membrane structure and cell design to improve the process efficiency,” says group leader Zhiping Lai. His team also hopes to collaborate with the glass industry to produce the LLTO membrane at large scale and affordable cost.
Original Article: Electrochemical cell harvests lithium from seawater
More from: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Lithium from seawater
- Australia's Anson Resources inks lithium carbonate supply deal with LG Energy
Australia's Anson Resources said on Wednesday it would supply 4,000 dry metric tons of lithium carbonate per year from its Mexican Paradox Basin project to South Korean battery giant LG Energy ...
- SES AI partners with WPI to develop lithium-metal battery recycling technology
Lithium-metal battery manufacturer SES AI Corp., Boston, says it will fund a new research initiative at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) to develop a “state-of-the-art” recycling technology for ...
- Lithium Faces Challenge From Sodium Batteries
Lithium-ion has been the dominant rechargeable battery technology for years, but the strong charge and discharge capacities from Sodium batteries could make a difference in the energy storage business ...
- Half of world’s copper mining is at drought risk with climate change
Even in an optimistic low-emission scenario for 2050, more than half the world’s copper mines will be in areas exposed to drought risk that is deemed significant, high or extreme, according to a ...
- Saudi Arabia Pursues Lithium to Fuel EV Ambitions
Saudi Arabia has started exploring methods to extract lithium from seawater and salinated discharges from oil fields, in collaboration with Aramco. However, the success of these initiatives remains ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Lithium from seawater
[google_news title=”” keyword=”lithium from seawater” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Lithium
- Atlantic Lithium to list on the Ghana Stock Exchange
Atlantic Lithium Limited has received approval from the Ghana Stock Exchange's (GSE) Listing Committee and Ghana's Securities and Exchange Commission to list the company's ordinary shares on the Main ...
- Lithium boffin Michael Fotios sees carbonate prices reaching US$50,000t by Christmas
Lithium industry veteran Michael Fotios predicts a threefold increase in carbonate prices by year's end, despite expectations. ... Read More The post Lithium boffin Michael Fotios sees carbonate ...
- LIFT defines 13 km by 6 km spodumene-in-till anomaly at the Pontax Lithium Project, Quebec, and updates on other Quebec exploration activities
(“ LIFT ” or the “ Company ”) ( TSXV: LIFT) ( OTCQX: LIFFF) ( Frankfurt:WS0) is pleased to report results from its summer 2023 exploration program at the Pontax Project and the Rupert Project, both in ...
- Volt Lithium Announces Closing of US$1.5 Million Strategic Investment
CALGARY, Alberta, May 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Volt Lithium Corp. (TSXV: VLT | OTCQB: VLTLF) (“Volt” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced ...
- Lithium training program at IVC prepares local workforce
Imperial Valley College (IVC) is starting the second phase of the lithium training program which will prepare the local workforce for the projects coming soon to the Valley.
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Lithium
[google_news title=”” keyword=”lithium” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]