- They develop a new lithium extraction process at MIT
- It is cheaper and more ecological than current techniques.
- Innovation could move extractive industry away from China
Lithium-ion batteries power most of our technological devices, from the best phones to the best drones, so the element lithium is in high demand. Now, scientists working at MIT have devised a new way to extract it from the rock, which is cheaper and more environmentally friendly than the techniques currently used.
The new process was actually inspired by a bathroom renovation carried out by one of the research team members, Materials Science and Engineering Professor Yet-Ming Chiang. His DIY project led him to create a glass etching cream that could “eat” the surface of the glass and turn clear glass blocks translucent.
Spodumene, the most abundant lithium-bearing mineral, is composed primarily of silica, as is glass. With glass etching cream in mind, scientists developed an innovative liquid solution to dissolve silica in spodumene and then developed new techniques to refine lithium and aluminum, also present in the rock.
The process stands out in several ways: it works at room temperature, it is about half the cost of current extraction techniques, the liquid solution can be reused repeatedly, and leftover waste can be repurposed into useful materials.
‘The lithium market can be changed’
“We believe this approach is the most economical and lowest-cost way to obtain lithium not only from hard rock, but also,” Chiang says. “That’s what motivates us to scale this up. It will enable the energy transition through batteries that use lithium.”
It also has the potential to change the global landscape in terms of lithium production. Currently, China dominates the global lithium refining industry, but the element is also abundant in the United States, Europe and Australia; the problem is getting it out of the rocks in which it is encased into a usable form.
Currently, to extract lithium it is necessary to heat rocks to more than 1,000 degrees Celsius, which consumes a considerable amount of energy. The rest of the rock must also be discarded after the extraction process. Historically, China has been willing to bear the financial and environmental cost, and benefits from operating on a large scale.
“Our central thesis is that if you can find an easier way to break down rock, extract lithium and produce lithium salts suitable for batteries, you can change the lithium market,” says chemist Camden Hunt, one of the researchers who worked on the project.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to receive news, reviews and opinions from our experts in your feeds.
The best laptops for all budgets
