Columbia University has developed a revolutionary method for extracting lithium

The need for lithium is growing rapidly with the growing demand for electric vehicles and large battery systems for solar and wind energy, but extracting it has been a slow, expensive and environmentally damaging process. Now researchers at Columbia University School of Engineering and Sciences have developed a new technology that could change all that.

The study, published in the journal Joule, describes a method called Switchable Solvent Selective Extraction, or S3E. It uses a solvent operating at a specific temperature to separate lithium directly from underground brine, whether it is in very small quantities or mixed with other minerals.

The results of the experiments were surprising. S3E separated lithium 10 times faster than sodium and 12 times faster than potassium. It also effectively removes magnesium, a common but troublesome contaminant in lithium deposits.

If this technology is implemented on a large scale, it will make it possible to extract lithium even from areas where current methods do not work, which could greatly increase the global lithium supply.