Solar transpiration-powered lithium extraction and storage

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Song, Yan; Fang, Shiqi; Xu, Ning; Wang, Monong; Chen, Shuying; Chen, Jun; Mi, Baoxia; Zhu, Jia
• 署名单位: Nanjing University; Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures (CICAM); University of California System; University of California Berkeley; Nanjing University; Nanjing University
• 刊物名称: SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0036-13616
• DOI: 10.1126/science.adm7034
• 发表日期: 2024-09-27
• 页码: 1444-1449
• 关键词: nanofiltration; membranes; water

摘要

Lithium mining is energy intensive and environmentally costly. This is because lithium ions are typically present in brines as a minor component mixed with physiochemically similar cations that are difficult to separate. Inspired by nature's ability to selectively extract species in transpiration, we report a solar transpiration-powered lithium extraction and storage (STLES) device that can extract and store lithium from brines using natural sunlight. Specifically, the device uses a hierarchically structured solar transpirational evaporator to create a pressure gradient, which allows for the extraction of lithium from brines through a membrane and its storage in a vascular storage layer. Long-term experiments, various membrane tests, and different size assessments demonstrate the stability, compatibility, and scalability of STLES. This solar-powered mining technology provides an alternative developing pathway toward the sustainable extraction of critical resources.