Grant: Alliance Grants

In order to move the global economy from fossil fuels to more sustainable alternatives, energy storage is vital. Lithium-ion batteries are the primary means of energy storage in a number of sectors, including transportation. For Canadian industry to take a leadership role in this sector, an incredible supply of lithium and other elements like nickel and cobalt is required. Fortunately, Canada's lithium resources are among the largest in the world. However, leveraging these deposits in an economically and environmentally viable way requires technological advancements. Specifically, lithium extraction typically generates large quantities of water, called a brine, which contains several types of dissolved metals. Lithium must be separated and concentrated to produce the raw materials necessary for battery production. In collaboration with Mangrove Lithium, (BC) Telescope Innovations, (BC) Summit Nanotech, (AB) and PolyAnalytik, (ON) we will develop techniques for lithium purification based on capacitive deionization methods. This novel technique, which we term Capacitive Direct Lithium Extraction (C-DLE) uses an applied electrical potential to draw ions out of solution, separating fresh water from brine. The technique offers the promise of selectively concentrating and purifying lithium relative to other low-value elements (e.g. sodium). Key to the technology are meticulously designed polymeric materials that can select for the ion of interest, (e.g. lithium). The materials will be analyzed by PolyAnalytic of ON, developing their advanced polymer characterization capabilities. The energy efficiency of the technique will be optimized to meet the demands of Mangrove Lithium and Summit Nanotech, with scale-up strategies for polymer synthesis being developed in collaboration with Telescope and PolyAnalytik. Radical improvements in the speed and scalability of the process are sought through additively manufactured architectures. We intend to deliver a viable and sustainable solution for Canadian industry to extract and process these critical minerals to secure its role as a global leader in the worldwide transition to green energy.