Edith Cowan University (ECU) and the Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia (MRIWA) have held a meeting at the Joondalup campus to discuss a $450,000 investment from the state government toward a new lithium extraction pilot project.
The new sustainability project uses membrane technology to extract lithium. The membranes act as filters that allow the transportation of lithium at low energy.
ECU Associate Professor and project lead Amir Razmjou says the nanochannels within the membranes are designed to selectively transport lithium from one side to the other, leaving impurities behind.
Razmjou says this project is set to change the future of direct lithium extraction.
“We anticipate the future value for this pilot to expand over time from $4 million in the first five years, and up to $20 million at the commercialisation stages,” he says.
As the dependence on lithium to power electric vehicles, store energy, and power solar grows, alternative means to extract the battery mineral is needed as soon as possible.
The demand for lithium currently sits at around 700,000 tonnes per year globally, according to the ECU. However, this is expected to increase to about 4 million tonnes by 2035.
Extracting lithium also has its environmental challenges with every tonne of lithium chemical produced releasing around 15 tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
“Furthermore, lithium requires large amounts of water, to extract one tonne of lithium from hard rock it requires about 60,000 to 80,000 litres of water and can also poison reservoirs and other water sources,” Razmjou says.
The new project will allow by-products to be recirculated, reducing overall costs. Razmjou says the integration of the technology with renewable energy can result in net zero emissions from lithium mining.
School of Engineering Executive Dean Professor Paulo De Souza says the team is conducting research to meet the needs of the industry.
“This is all about making a difference for a global, more sustainable future,” he says.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Edith Cowan University
