Solar-driven membrane separation for direct lithium extraction from artificial salt-lake brine
Shenxiang Zhang1,2（张慎祥）, Xian Wei1,2, Xue Cao1,2, Meiwen Peng3, Min Wang4, Lin Jiang3*（江林）, and Jian Jin1,2*（靳健）
1College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
2Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Negative Carbon Technologies, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
3Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
4Key Laboratory of Comprehensive and Highly Efficient Utilization of Salt Lake Resources, Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, Qinghai, China
Nat. Commun. 2024, 15, 238
Abstract：The demand for lithium extraction from salt-lake brines is increasing to address the lithium supply shortage. Nanofiltration separation technology with high Mg2+/Li+ separation efficiency has shown great potential for lithium extraction. However, it usually requires diluting the brine with a large quantity of freshwater and only yields Li+-enriched solution. Inspired by the process of selective ion uptake and salt secretion in mangroves, we report here the direct extraction of lithium from salt-lake brines by utilizing the synergistic effect of ion separation membrane and solar-driven evaporator. The ion separation membrane-based solar evaporator is a multilayer structure consisting of an upper photothermal layer to evaporate water, a hydrophilic porous membrane in the middle to generate capillary pressure as the driving force for water transport, and an ultrathin ion separation membrane at the bottom to allow Li+ to pass through and block other multivalent ions. This process exhibits excellent lithium extraction capability. When treating artificial salt-lake brine with salt concentration as high as 348.4 g L−1, the Mg2+/Li+ ratio is reduced by 66 times (from 19.8 to 0.3). This research combines ion separation with solar-driven evaporation to directly obtain LiCl powder, providing an efficient and sustainable approach for lithium extraction.
链接：https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-44625-w