P. Paranthaman
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
United States
Keywords: direct lithium extraction, sorbents, high extraction efficiency, brines, battery leachate solution
Summary:
The demand for lithium is expected to increase drastically soon due to the increased usage of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIB) in electric vehicles, smartphones and other portable electronics. To alleviate the potential risk of undersupply, lithium can be extracted from raw sources of brines or from recycled lithium-ion batteries. The main goal of this research is to develop materials and processing technologies to improve the economics of lithium extraction and production from naturally occurring geothermal and other sources such as clay minerals and end-of-life LIBs for energy storage applications. We will discuss in detail about the advantages and disadvantages of direct lithium extraction methods. This research demonstrates that lithium has been selectively extracted from brines, and recycled lithium-ion batteries, thus offering the possibility of effective application of lithium salts in lithium-ion batteries leading to a fundamental shift in the lithium supply chain. This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Vehicle Technologies Office Program, ReCell program.