Korean team claims they can triple the efficiency of lithium extraction
The Korea Institute of Fusion Energy (KFE) revealed its latest discovery by presenting a study that tripled the efficiency of lithium extraction compared to conventional methods. This would be an innovation capable of completely revolutionizing the rare metal sector.
The team succeeded in this feat thanks to the innovative application of microwave plasma technology in combination with carbon dioxide. According to the team, the implications of this development are profound and promise to address critical lithium supply challenges for growth sectors such as electric vehicles and renewable energy storage.
As demand for lithium continues to increase, fueled by the acceleration of the transition to sustainable energy solutions, this new approach holds great promise for meeting the evolving needs of a greener future, according to the KFE team.
The two current extraction methods are not satisfactory
In the quest to efficiently extract lithium, two main methods have long dominated the landscape, each with its own challenges. The conventional approach involves mixing sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) with lithium-rich salt water, resulting in lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) through a complex process. However, a notable drawback emerges: lithium carbonate becomes entangled with sodium impurities, requiring additional separation steps.
An alternative method, using carbon dioxide instead of sodium carbonate, offers a potential solution. However, this method encounters an obstacle: low extraction rates in the saline solution which is normally the basis of lithium extraction, where the lithium salt forms a bond with the chlorine. This represents a significant obstacle that requires further research to overcome.
Efforts to perfect lithium extraction processes are ongoing, driven by the urgent need to meet growing demand from sectors such as electric vehicles and renewable energy storage. According to KFE researchers, if scientists delve deeper into these challenges, the findings will be key to unlocking a more sustainable future powered by lithium-ion technology.
Promising results
The team harnessed the power of carbon dioxide microwave plasma technology to dramatically improve lithium extraction rates. This approach involves ionizing carbon dioxide into a plasma state, marking a fundamental advance in the search for more efficient extraction methods. This improves extraction from the brine.
KFE researchers undertook a series of experiments to compare the effectiveness of carbon dioxide plasma lithium extraction with traditional methods. Using a simulated brine as a testing ground, their results revealed a staggering three-fold increase in extraction rates when using plasma technology.
According to the team, the results are very encouraging: direct injections of carbon dioxide produced a modest extraction rate of 10.3%, while the introduction of carbon dioxide plasma pushed the extraction rate to an impressive 27.87 %. This marks a paradigmatic shift in lithium extraction methodologies, offering a glimpse into the vast potential of plasma technology in optimizing resource utilization.
The KFE team says the research represents a breakthrough in the sector, demonstrating for the first time the tangible benefits of integrating plasma technology into the lithium extraction process. “It was possible to confirm the effects of heat and ions, electrons, radicals, etc. generated by the formation of carbon dioxide plasma on lithium extraction rates,” Dr. Jong Keun Yang of KFE and first author of the research said in a statement.
Researchers hope that plasma-based lithium extraction processes offer a new avenue for advancing technology that can efficiently extract lithium from seawater, even at lower lithium concentrations. Lithium obtained from seawater is a crucial component for fusion power generation, and we will continue to conduct research into both fusion power development and fusion fuel acquisition,” said Suk Jae Yoo, president of KFE, in a statement . This would also prevent fragile environments, such as those of Andean salt lakes, from being over-exploited for lithium extraction.
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The article Korean Team Claims They Can Triple Lithium Mining Efficiency comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/team-coreano-afferma-di-poter-triplicare-lefficienza-dellestrazione-del-litio/ on Sat, 17 Feb 2024 17:19:37 +0000.