KAUST: A recent study by scientists at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), published in the journal Science, developed a new technology for directly extracting lithium from brine in oil fields and seawater, where lithium is present in extremely low concentrations.
According to Saudi Press Agency, the technology was tested on a scale 100,000 times larger than that used in a university laboratory, proving to be cost-competitive with traditional methods that have struggled with low-concentration brine. The ability to extract lithium from brine could significantly boost its global availability by hundreds of billions of tons, potentially transforming Saudi Arabia from an importer to a producer of this highly sought-after element.
The innovative technology is capable of extracting lithium from brine at concentrations as low as 20 parts per million, without introducing pollutants or additional materials. This makes the extraction process economically viable, particularly for sources with low lithium concentrations, such as the oil fields located across the Kingdom.
Professor Zhiping Lai, co-chair of the KAUST Center of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Storage Technologies and a lead researcher at the project, explained that the study improved the redox electrode bridge, harnessing the osmotic energy resulting from the concentration difference between the highly saline brine and the extraction solution. This innovation reduces energy consumption during the lithium extraction process.
He added that such advancements could create new value in the fields of oil, mining, and geothermal energy, especially in areas where the produced water is typically regarded as waste.
Brine and seawater are estimated to contain lithium reserves over 10,000 times more than is currently available, increasing the world’s total lithium resources from 22 million tons to over 230 billion tons.