Clean lithium extraction possible with new zero-water, zero-chemical method

At present, lithium batteries are the most efficient, clean, and practical solution for powering electric vehicles and electronic gadgets, as well as for storing wind and solar energy.

However, conventional lithium mining methods are inflicting significant damage on Earth’s natural resources. For instance, the extraction of just one ton of lithium requires two million liters of water and releases thousands of pounds of CO ₂ into the atmosphere.

Moreover, the harsh chemicals (such as hydrochloric acid, sodium carbonate, etc.) used during this process end up contaminating water and soil.

ElectraLith, a startup backed by Monash University researchers, has found a solution to this problem. They have developed Direct Lithium Extraction and Refining (DLE-R), a technology that allows lithium extraction from brines without using water and any harmful chemicals.

“Our cutting-edge DLE-R technology revolutionizes Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) and Refining processes by extracting and producing battery-grade lithium hydroxide in a single, scalable, and modular step that requires no water or chemicals, running entirely on renewable energy,” the ElectraLith team notes .

Functioning of DLE-R

Lithium extraction companies currently use evaporation-based mining. This approach involves pumping brine into large water ponds. Once the brine is added, water is allowed to evaporate, leaving behind lithium salts.

In the next step, chemicals like HCl are used to refine the lithium . The purified lithium is then sent to battery manufacturers, who combine it with different chemicals and develop lithium-ion battery packs. This process consumes a lot of water , releases harmful chemicals, and is often powered by fossil fuels.

DLE-R, on the other hand, doesn’t involve water and evaporation. Lithium-rich brine is directly pumped on the surface, where special membranes are used to selectively absorb lithium ions from the brine. The extracted lithium is then purified and converted into battery-grade lithium hydroxide.

This whole process is powered by renewable energy and doesn’t involve the use of any harmful chemicals.

“This technology can produce battery grade lithium hydroxide from a range of lithium sources including salar brines, geothermal oilfield brines, and spodumene leach in locations across the US, Argentina, and Australia,” the researchers said .

Testing DLE-R in real-world settings

In the past also, scientists and companies have proposed techniques that promise to make lithium-mining sustainable. However, most such methods are still limited to lab settings.

Fortunately, this isn’t the case with DLE-R. The ElectraLith team has tested their DLE-R membranes to extract lithium in some real locations.

For instance, they claim that in Paradox Basin, Utah, they were able to produce “99.9 percent pure lithium hydroxide from Mandrake’s geothermal oilfield brines, an increasingly scarce resource in the broader Colorado River Basin.”

They also produced lithium hydroxide from a brine with concentrations as low as 60 parts per million. They’re now planning to use the same technology to extract lithium in some of the driest parts of the US.

“We’re unlocking a green future with the cleanest, most versatile, and most cost-efficient method of extracting and refining lithium, the fundamental element of a sustainable future,” the ElectraLith team said.