Innovative techniques aim to make lithium extraction greener as demand soars
Rising demand for lithium, driven by electric vehicles and renewable-energy storage, is prompting research into less water-intensive extraction methods.
Electric-vehicle sales accounted for more than a quarter of global car purchases last year, and the International Energy Agency projects lithium demand for EV batteries to reach roughly 665 kilotonnes by 2035. Existing and planned mines would only supply about 450 kilotonnes, creating a sizable shortfall. Conventional brine extraction in the arid regions of Chile and Argentina relies on large evaporation ponds, a slow process that consumes scarce freshwater and leaves up to half the lithium unrecovered.
Scientists, including Huanting Wang at Monash University, have developed a method that first solidifies the brine, then uses acetone and ethanol to selectively dissolve lithium salts, achieving about 95 % recovery while dramatically cutting water use. The technique can be integrated with solar-driven condensation systems to recycle evaporated water and reuse solvents, and could also process lithium in industrial waste.
Materials scientist Peter Sherrell notes the high recovery rate and solvent recyclability as advantages, but cautions that commercial adoption is not guaranteed. If scaled, these innovations could lessen environmental impacts and help close the projected supply gap.
Why it matters
Cleaner lithium extraction could reduce water stress and environmental damage while meeting growing battery demand.
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