Increasing the Stability of LiMn2O4 Against Harsh Conditions During Lithium Recovery from Real Brine Solutions

• Published in: Energy technology (Weinheim, Germany) Germany), 2021-08, Vol.9 (8), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Hippauf, Felix, Abendroth, Thomas, Neidhardt, Julia, Althues, Holger, Aljlil, Saad A., Alrasheed, Radwan A., Alyousef, Yousef M., Kaskel, Stefan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alkali metals; antiscalants; Brines; Calcium carbonate; Cation exchange; cation exchange membranes; Cation exchanging; Chloride ions; Chlorine; Desalination; Desalination plants; Electrochemistry; Electrodes; electrosorption; Lithium; lithium manganese oxide; Lithium manganese oxides; lithium recovery; Low currents; Reactor materials; Recovery; Scale formation; Seawater; Selectivity; Silver chloride
• ISSN: 2194-4288; 2194-4296
• DOI: 10.1002/ente.202100145

Brines are abundant waste products from desalination plants and have higher lithium contents than sea water (0.17 ppm). Herein, electrochemical lithium recovery from real brine solutions using Li‐selective LiMn2O4 is reported. Free‐standing electrodes are prepared completely solvent‐free. At low current densities, the complete theoretical capacity of 148 mAh g−1 can be utilized. The process is highly rate dependent due to the lithium concentration in the mm range. The high salt content of the brine depicts a challenging environment for electrodes and reactor materials. Competing earth‐alkali metals lead to scale formation blocking the electrode surface and reducing the electrode capacity for lithium uptake. The high chloride concentration enables the formation of chlorine Cl2 at potentials