In addition to the method of extracting from saline water, a research team in the U.S. has developed a polymer membrane to accurately separate lithium ions from wastewater.
Lithium ions are a crucial component in batteries and can be extracted from wastewater. (Photo: Excell Battery)
The product was developed by research teams from the University of Texas and the University of California (USA). The core of this method is the polymer membrane created using ether compounds, which function to bind other ions in batteries. Notably, this type of compound can target specific molecules in water to bind and extract lithium ions.
In this membrane, lithium moves faster than sodium, a common pollutant in saline water. Researchers believe that sodium ions easily bind with ether, causing them to be retained, while lithium ions, which have not yet bound, can filter through the polymer more quickly. By applying this method, lithium can be extracted from polluted wastewater, which contains heavy metals that easily bond with ether because wastewater from oil and natural gas production also contains lithium, which has not yet been exploited.
The research team cites the example of wastewater from the Eagle Ford oil group in Texas, which could produce enough lithium for 300 electric car batteries or 1.7 million smartphones. This highlights the practical application opportunities of this new method in increasing lithium supply.
Lithium is an essential material in batteries for phones, motorcycles, and electric cars. Although there is a diverse supply of lithium, the process of capturing and extracting this ion through solar evaporation remains inefficient due to a small amount of lithium being wasted.
