Researchers at Columbia Engineering have developed a faster, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly way to extract this critical mineral.
Researchers at Columbia Engineering have developed a faster, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly way to extract this critical mineral.
Demand for lithium is skyrocketing as factories across the world churn out electric vehicles and the massive batteries that make wind turbines and solar panels reliable sources of energy. Unfortunately, current methods for producing lithium are slow and require high-quality feedstocks that are found in relatively few locations on the planet. Ironically, the environmental costs are also significant: refining the mineral behind clean energy requires large amounts of land and pollutes water supplies that local communities depend on.
In a new paper, researchers from Columbia Engineering describe a new method for extracting lithium that could dramatically shorten processing time, unlock reserves that existing methods can’t tap, and reduce environmental impact. Their technique uses a temperature-sensitive solvent to extract lithium directly from the brines found in deposits across the world. Unlike the current technologies, this approach can efficiently extract lithium even when the mineral is found in very low concentrations and contaminated with similar materials.
Read More: Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science
Image: Scientists have unveiled a new lithium-extraction process that could make EV batteries cleaner, cheaper, and faster to produce. Credit: Columbia Engineering
