A collaborative research team led by Professor Zhou Haoshen and Professor He Ping from the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, alongside Assistant Professor Sixie Yang from the School of Materials Science and Intelligent Engineering at Nanjing University, has published a groundbreaking review in Nature on December 12, titled “Lithium Extraction from Low-quality Brines.” The review introduces the concept of “low-quality brines,” underscoring their pivotal role in the sustainable supply of global lithium resources. The authors systematically analyze a range of emerging lithium extraction technologies tailored for low-quality brine resources, outlining the challenges faced by current methods and proposing future research directions. Additionally, the review delves into the fundamental physicochemical principles underpinning these technologies. It elucidates the separation mechanisms and strategies for lithium ions from competing ions, proposing a theory of separation driving forces and energy barrier differences to guide the development of next-generation lithium extraction techniques.
Link to the paper:
Title: Lithium extraction from low-quality brines
Abstract
In the quest for environmental sustainability, the rising demand for electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies has substantially increased the need for efficient lithium extraction methods. Traditional lithium production, relying on geographically concentrated hard-rock ores and salar brines, is associated with considerable energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, groundwater depletion and land disturbance, thereby posing notable environmental and supply chain challenges. On the other hand, low-quality brines—such as those found in sedimentary waters, geothermal fluids, oilfield-produced waters, seawater and some salar brines and salt lakes—hold large potential owing to their extensive reserves and widespread geographical distribution. However, extracting lithium from these sources presents technical challenges owing to low lithium concentrations and high magnesium-to-lithium ratios. This Review explores the latest advances and continuing challenges in lithium extraction from these demanding yet promising sources, covering a variety of methods, including precipitation, solvent extraction, sorption, membrane-based separation and electrochemical-based separation. Furthermore, we share perspectives on the future development of lithium extraction technologies, framed within the basic principles of separation processes. The aim is to encourage the development of innovative extraction methods capable of making use of the substantial potential of low-quality brines.
Lithium extraction methods based on phase creation and addition strategies
