Electrochemically Mediated Lithium Extraction for Energy and Environmental Sustainability

The demand for lithium resources is growing rapidly due to the continuous development of the lithium-ion battery, which plays an important part in the renewable energy industry. Global sources of lithium are ores and brine, of which 59% are distributed in saline brine. However, the significant lithium resources in saline brine have not been fully utilized. The electrochemical deintercalation method (EDM) for lithium extraction from saline brine is a promising technique because of its environmental friendliness, high selectivity, and cost-effectiveness. Nevertheless, the application of EDM is greatly limited by the easy dissolution of electrode materials like LiMn2O4 and the cost of mass production. Also, there are a few existing review articles on the EDM for lithium extraction. To address this gap, this review provides a comprehensive overview of the current methods for lithium extraction from saline brine, systematically summarizes the technical status of the EDM, and pays special attention to the preparation method and modification of electrode materials. This review gives new insight into the mechanism of EDM and provides a new design strategy for the evaluation methods of EDM. This review presents the global lithium supply, demand, and distribution, and explains the importance of saline lithium extraction. It compares several common methods for salt lake lithium extraction. image