Chinese scientists say they have discovered a promising and sustainable way to extract lithium from seawater, while minimizing environmental impact, as demand for lithium increases in renewable energy technologies. , would provide an efficient alternative.
A surge in production of new energy vehicles and energy storage devices is driving strong demand for lithium. However, currently lithium is primarily sourced from hard rock ores such as spodumene or from natural brines, both of which require energy-intensive and environmentally-intensive processes.
A groundbreaking study published Friday in the peer-reviewed journal Science introduces a new seawater lithium extraction technology that uses solar energy as the driving force.
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A research team led by Zhu Jia of Nanjing University and Mi Baoxia of the University of California, Berkeley has developed a solar transpiration-based lithium extraction and storage (STLES) device that uses sunlight to extract and store lithium from salt water. Suggested.