%0 Journal Article
%A Xin He
%A Sumanjeet Kaur
%A Robert Kostecki
%B Joule
%D 2020
%G eng
%N 7
%P 1357 - 1358
%R 10.1016/j.joule.2020.06.015
%T Mining Lithium from Seawater
%V 4
%8 07/2020
%! Joule
%X <p><span>Unlike conventional land-based resources for lithium (Li), which are concentrated in a few geographic locations (e.g., closed-basin brines, pegmatites, lithium clays, and zeolites), seawater provides a massive and evenly distributed global Li reserve (230 billion tons), albeit at low (&lt;1 parts per million) concentrations. As global Li consumption continues to rise over the next few decades, the development of cost-competitive technologies for Li extraction from seawater warrants intense research. In this issue of&nbsp;</span><em>Joule</em><span>, Steven Chu and colleagues introduce an electrochemical methodology to selectively remove Li from seawater. This selective removal is accomplished by exploiting the differences in electrochemical potentials for the Li</span><sup><span>+</span></sup><span>&nbsp;and sodium (Na)</span><sup><span>+</span></sup><span>&nbsp;insertion/extraction reactions, and their diffusion activation barriers in the FePO</span><sub><span>4</span></sub><span>&nbsp;framework of the ordered olivine MeFePO</span><sub><span>4</span></sub><span>. This work demonstrates the possibility of energy-efficient Li extraction from seawater at relatively high rates with long-term stability by using the electrochemical ion insertion/extraction in battery electrode materials.</span></p>