Context
Scientists at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Hyderabad, have developed a chemical technique that recovers nearly 90% of lithium from natural seawater using relatively little solvent. The innovation could help reduce India’s dependence on imported lithium for electric vehicles and energy storage.
Explanation
- Lithium is a lightweight alkali metal used in lithium-ion batteries because of their high energy density and long operational life.
- India depends heavily on imported lithium, increasing the importance of alternative sources for its clean energy transition.
- Seawater contains approximately 230 billion tonnes of lithium, but its extremely low concentration (0.17 mg/litre) makes extraction difficult.
- High concentrations of magnesium and calcium further complicate lithium separation.
- BARC researchers increase seawater’s pH using sodium hydroxide and sodium carbonate, removing over 99% of these interfering elements.
- Dibenzoyl methane and methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) then selectively extract lithium from the treated seawater.
- Dilute nitric acid separates the extracted lithium, allowing the solvent to be reused.
- The technique achieves nearly 90% lithium recovery, although industrial scalability, solvent losses and environmental impacts require further assessment.
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