A team at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago may have cracked a new lithium extraction method that is more efficient and environmentally friendly than existing technologies. Their approach will eventually make lithium, the battery that powers electric cars, more affordable and accessible.
With the exception of China, electric vehicle sales are declining in most regions. A big factor in the sales decline is the high cost of lithium-ion batteries, which are a necessity for every model. The main reason for the high cost of lithium-ion batteries is that the extraction process of lithium is complex and resource-intensive.
This is the problem with the methods we use to obtain lithium today: the two main methods of ore mining and brine extraction both have major drawbacks. Mining requires intensive surveying, heavy machinery that disrupts the landscape, and complex chemical treatments. In the early stage of brine extraction, the ecological damage is small, but the water consumption is staggering.
Both methods require mining sources with very high natural lithium concentrations, limiting viable deposits to a handful of countries. As a result, countries such as the United States have to rely heavily on expensive lithium imports.
The Chicago researchers' new technique avoids these limitations entirely. By harnessing lithium's unique electrochemical properties, their process can extract minerals from thin water sources like seawater that were previously considered useless on a commercial scale.
Assistant Professor Chong Liu, who took part in the work, said: "Our method can efficiently extract minerals from very dilute liquids, which can greatly broaden the potential sources of lithium."
The technical details of this technique are quite complex, as explained in a study published in Nature Communications. But as the Independent explains, their method basically acts like a lithium-trapping sponge, using its electrochemical properties to suck up lithium minerals from low-concentration sources.
