Spray-drying assisted layer-structured H2TiO3 ion sieve synthesis and lithium adsorption performance

Direct Lithium Extraction Using Intercalation Materials

Worldwide lithium demand has surged in recent years due to increased production of Li-ion batteries for electric vehicles and stationary storage. Li supply and production will need to increase such that the transition towards increased electrification in the energy sector does not become cost prohibitive. Many countries have taken policy steps such as listing Li as a critical mineral. Current commercial Li mining is mostly from dedicated mine sources, including ores, clays, and brines. The conventional ways to extract Li+ from those resources are through chemical processing and includes steps of calcination, leaching, precipitation, and purification. The environmental and economic sustainability of conventional Li processing has recently received increased scrutiny. Routes such as direct Li+ extraction may provide advantages relative to conventional Li+ extraction technologies, and one possible route to direct Li+ extraction includes leveraging intercalation materials. Intercalation material processing has recently demonstrated high selectivity towards Li+ as opposed to other cations. Reviews and reports of direct Li+ extraction with intercalation materials are limited, even as this technology has started to show promise in smaller-scale demonstrations. This paper will review selective Li+ extraction via intercalation materials, including both electrochemical and chemical methods to drive Li+ in and out, and efforts to characterize the Li+ insertion/deinsertion processes.

A review of lithium extraction from natural resources

Lithium is considered to be the most important energy metal of the 21st century. Because of the development trend of global electrification, the consumption of lithium has increased significantly over the last decade, and it is foreseeable that its demand will continue to increase for a long time. Limited by the total amount of lithium on the market, lithium extraction from natural resources is still the first choice for the rapid development of emerging industries. This paper reviews the recent technological developments in the extraction of lithium from natural resources. Existing methods are summarized by the main resources, such as spodumene, lepidolite, and brine. The advantages and disadvantages of each method are compared. Finally, reasonable suggestions are proposed for the development of lithium extraction from natural resources based on the understanding of existing methods. This review provides a reference for the research, development, optimization, and industrial application of future processes.