Direct Lithium Recovery from Aqueous Electrolytes with Electrochemical Ion Pumping and Lithium Intercalation

Abstract

In this mini-review, we provide an account of recent developments on electrochemical methods for the direct extraction of lithium (DEL) from natural brines, geothermal fluids, seawater, and battery recycling electrolytes by ion-pumping entropy cells. A critical discussion of selected examples with the LiMn2O4 lithium intercalation battery cathode material is presented, with emphasis on the operation parameters, some experimental results and multiscale simulations, some limitations and challenges, and conditions for industrial scaleup.