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Electrochemical reactor grabs 97.5% of lithium from geothermal sources | Lithium-ion batteries power everything from our vape pens to electric cars, but they have one glaring issue: they rely on lots of hard-to-harvest lithium.

Lithium-ion batteries power everything from our vape pens to electric cars, but they have one glaring issue: they rely on lots of hard-to-harvest lithium. A new reactor from Rice University is set to make the whole process easier and safer.

While such sources are good places to find lithium, the brines contain a host of other chemicals with similar ionic sizes and charges including magnesium, calcium, sodium, and potassium. “This reactor could represent a major step forward in making lithium extraction both more efficient and less harmful to the environment,” said study co-author Sibani Biswal. “Our field has long struggled with the inefficiencies and environmental impacts of lithium extraction,” added co-author Haotian Wang, Rice associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering.

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