Eco-friendly lithium extraction method developed for electric vehicle batteries

Researchers at The George Washington College, in collaboration with different establishments, have developed an progressive methodology to instantly extract and purify lithium from geothermal brines that can be utilized to make batteries present in electrical vehicles.

The examine, “Electro-driven direct lithium extraction from geothermal brines to generate battery-grade lithium hydroxide,” was published in Nature Communications.

The power to extract lithium from different sources is vital for the clear power transition and useful resource independence in nations just like the U.S., the researchers say.

This course of, which avoids harsh chemical compounds that may be damaging to the atmosphere, makes use of a particular materials that selectively captures lithium ions from the brine. The captured lithium is then transformed into lithium chloride and eventually into lithium hydroxide, which is the grade appropriate for electrical automobile batteries. The group additional carried out an economic analysis and located that the strategy may produce battery-grade lithium at a aggressive price.

In response to the researchers, present sources of lithium, together with hard-rock mining and salt flats are inadequate to satisfy future world wants. This examine introduces an environmentally pleasant resolution that faucets into the useful resource of geothermal brines, particularly from sources just like the Salton Sea in California.

The researchers’ expertise is about to be examined at scale within the coming years.