This breakthrough could have broader applications, from recovering other key materials like nickel, cobalt, and rare earth elements, to removing harmful contaminants from water supplies.

Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, and University of Chicago, IL

H-shaped cell for studying membrane transport behavior—one half has a salt water mixture (blue liquid), the other shows result after membrane separation (clear liquid). Left to right: Seth Darling and Yining Liu. (Image: Argonne National Laboratory)

Lithium, the lightest metal on the periodic table, plays a pivotal role in modern life. Its low weight and high energy density make it ideal for electric vehicles, cellphones, laptops, and military technologies where every ounce counts. As demand for lithium skyrockets, concerns about supply and reliability are growing.

To help meet surging demand and possible supply chain problems, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have developed an innovative membrane technology that efficiently extracts lithium from water. Several team members also hold joint appointments with the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) at the University of Chicago.

“The new membrane we have developed offers a potential low-cost and abundant alternative for lithium extraction here at home,” said Seth Darling, Chief Science and Technology Officer for Argonne’s Advanced Energy Technologies directorate. He is also Director of the Advanced Materials for Energy-Water Systems (AMEWS) Energy Frontier Research Center at Argonne and a PME Senior Scientist.

Right now, most of the world’s lithium comes from hard-rock mining and salt lakes in just a few countries, leaving supply chains vulnerable to disruption. Yet most of the Earth’s lithium is actually dissolved in seawater and underground salt water reserves. The problem? Extracting it from these unconventional sources has been prohibitively expensive, energy-hungry and inefficient. Traditional methods struggle to separate lithium from other, more abundant elements like sodium and magnesium.

In salt water, lithium and other elements exist as cations. These are atoms that have lost one or more electrons, giving them a positive electric charge. The key to efficient lithium extraction lies in filtering out the other cations based on both size and degree of charge.

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Taxonomy

• Technology
• Energy
• Membrane Technology
• Membrane
• Water from Air
• Water from Urine
• United States