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Lithium extraction from low-quality brines

Nature volume 636, pages 309–321 (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

In the quest for environmental sustainability, the rising demand for electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies has substantially increased the need for efficient lithium extraction methods. Traditional lithium production, relying on geographically concentrated hard-rock ores and salar brines, is associated with considerable energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, groundwater depletion and land disturbance, thereby posing notable environmental and supply chain challenges. On the other hand, low-quality brines—such as those found in sedimentary waters, geothermal fluids, oilfield-produced waters, seawater and some salar brines and salt lakes—hold large potential owing to their extensive reserves and widespread geographical distribution. However, extracting lithium from these sources presents technical challenges owing to low lithium concentrations and high magnesium-to-lithium ratios. This Review explores the latest advances and continuing challenges in lithium extraction from these demanding yet promising sources, covering a variety of methods, including precipitation, solvent extraction, sorption, membrane-based separation and electrochemical-based separation. Furthermore, we share perspectives on the future development of lithium extraction technologies, framed within the basic principles of separation processes. The aim is to encourage the development of innovative extraction methods capable of making use of the substantial potential of low-quality brines.

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Fig. 1: Summary of the Li concentration and Mg/Li ratio of the main lithium-containing water bodies worldwide and the experimental results of different lithium extraction methods.
Fig. 2: Lithium extraction methods based on phase creation and addition strategies.
Fig. 3: Membrane-based separation techniques for lithium extraction.
Fig. 4: Lithium extraction methods based on electrochemical approaches.
Fig. 5: Fundamental principles of lithium extraction.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2022YFB2502104), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22239002, 22179059, 92372201), Key R&D Project financed by the Department of Science and Technology of Jiangsu Province (BE2020003) and the Science and Technology Innovation Fund for Emission Peak and Carbon Neutrality of Jiangsu Province (BK20231512, BK20220034).

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  1. These authors contributed equally: Sixie Yang, Yigang Wang

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center of Energy Storage Materials and Technology, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Artificial Functional Materials, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China

    Sixie Yang, Yigang Wang, Hui Pan, Ping He & Haoshen Zhou

  2. School of Materials Science and Intelligent Engineering, Nanjing University, Suzhou, China

    Sixie Yang

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Contributions

P.H. and S.Y. developed the framework of the manuscript. Y.W., H.P. and S.Y. collected the data. S.Y., P.H., H.P. and Y.W. wrote the manuscript. The project was supervised by P.H. and H.Z.

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Correspondence to Ping He or Haoshen Zhou.

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Supplementary information

Supplementary Tables 1–8

This file provides a comprehensive dataset for the figures. These data are related to the operational conditions and efficacy of various lithium extraction methods, as well as the natural states and developmental status of the main lithium-containing water bodies worldwide. Supplementary Table 1: lithium resources. Information on lithium concentrations and Mg/Li ratios in various water bodies globally. These are categorized by reservoir types, such as salars, salt lakes and sedimentary waters, listing details such as the reservoir, country, lithium concentration in grams per litre (g l−1) and Mg/Li ratio. Supplementary Table 2: lithium extraction performance. Compares the feed and recovery solutions used/produced in lithium extraction methods, such as precipitation, solvent extraction, membrane-based separation, sorption and electrochemical-based separation, focusing on Mg/Li ratios and lithium concentrations. Supplementary Table 3: sorption capacities. Lists the sorption capacities of various sorbents used in lithium extraction, categorized by types such as LMO, LTO and Li/Al-LDH, with specific adsorption capacities noted in milligrams per gram (mg g−1). Supplementary Table 4: elemental loss rates of sorbents. Provides information on the dissolution elements and their loss rates in LTO-type and LMO-type sorbents, highlighting the loss rates of elements such as Mn and Ti over initial and subsequent cycles. Supplementary Table 5: membrane selectivity. Details on the selectivity factor of different membranes and the corresponding working conditions (Mg/Li ratio of the feed solution). Supplementary Table 6: extraction capacities of electrode materials. Lithium extraction capacities of various electrode materials, crucial for evaluating the efficiency of different extraction technologies. Supplementary Table 7: development status of various lithium-containing water bodies. Summarizes the lithium reserves of the main lithium-containing water bodies, their current developmental status for lithium extraction and the technologies used. Supplementary Table 8: summary of the main lithium-containing water bodies. Details of the Li+ concentration, Mg/Li ratio and locations of the main lithium-containing water bodies.

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Yang, S., Wang, Y., Pan, H. et al. Lithium extraction from low-quality brines. Nature 636, 309–321 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08117-1

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