Recent advances in reactor design and control for lithium recovery by means of electrochemical ion pumping

Abstract

The necessity to tap new natural lithium sources worldwide has pushed in recent years the research in alternative methods for lithium recovery. Among them, electrochemical ion pumping is showing interesting performances, especially when addressing diluted sources. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in materials' and reactors’ design for lithium recovery by means of electrochemical ion pumping. We discuss simulations and modeling studies as a tool to study limitations and to provide improved engineering designs. In addition, we provide parameters based on lithium removal and energy consumption for a fair comparison among different ion pumping strategies. Accordingly, we stress the importance to report not only on lithium removal metrics, but also purity and energy-related parameters to provide an optimal assessment of this technology. Finally, remaining challenges and perspectives guidelines are included for future ion-pumping developments.