Researchers at the Australian National University (ANU) have developed a pioneering technique that makes the extraction of valuable materials from the extraction of valuable materials such as lithium such as lithium, using a novel thermodiffusion method to concentrate brines without evaporating water.
Greener lithium extraction with solar heat
According to project leader Juan Felipe Torres, this method takes advantage of moderate heat, generated directly by sunlight or waste heat from industrial processes, thus eliminating the dependence on large amounts of electrical energy characteristic of conventional methods.
The brine mining is crucial in obtaining lithium, which is indispensable in the manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles and renewable energy storage. Traditional techniques such as evaporation ponds require large areas of land and high water consumption. The technology proposed by ANU does not consume excess water, thus helping to minimize the environmental footprint.
In addition, this innovation promises a considerable reduction in operating costs and corrosion problems, surpassing reverse osmosis in efficiency. reverse osmosis and other current methods.
Sustainability and scalability in brine management
Soret Technologies, founded by ANU’s own research team, is now looking to bring this technology to the Australian and international market in collaboration with U.S.-based Wacomet Water Co.
Initial results suggest that future advances could improve energy efficiency and brine concentration capacity by up to 40 times, thus consolidating this technique as a sustainable and scalable alternative in various industrial sectors.
The full research has been published in the scientific journal Nature Water.
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Source and photo: ANU
