Nanofiltration membrane for enhancement in lithium recovery from salt-lake brine: A review

• Published in: Desalination 2024-12, Vol.591, p.117967, Article 117967
• Main Authors: Wen, Hui, Liu, Zhiyu, Xu, Jiajie, Chen, J. Paul
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: lithium recovery; Modification; Nanofiltration; Positively charge; Salt-lake brines
• ISSN: 0011-9164
• DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2024.117967

Lithium recovery from salt-lake brines is experiencing an tremendous increase in demands due to the rapid growth in the manufacture of electric vehicles and electronics products. The development of cost-effective technologies has therefore become greatly important. This article comprehensively reviews nanofiltration (NF) technology for lithium uptake and recovery. Surface grafting, aqueous additives, non-conventional monomers, and interlayer modifications are effective to obtain selective NF membranes according to layer-tailored strategies. Positively charged NF membranes outperform commercial negatively charged ones in lithium extraction from salt-lake brines due to important synergistic effects such as the Donnan effect, steric hindrance, and dielectric effects. Furthermore, the improvement in separation performances can be achieved by employing multi-step NF processes. Due to its better capability and adaptability in currently used production facilities, the positively charged NF-based technology plays a vital role in the ion-targeted separation and enrichment. Further identification of industrial challenges and development of better solutions would significantly advance technologies for efficient lithium recovery from various sources (e.g., salt-lake brines) and, therefore, address the challenges on globally increasing demands for lithium resources. [Display omitted] •Enhanced lithium recovery from salt-lake brine by nanofiltration is achievable.•Steric hindrance, Donnan, and dielectric effects cause separation.•Selective layer-tailored design increases positive charges.•Modification improves selective separation for high Mg2+/Li+ ratio brines.