Science Daily  September 7, 2023
A team of researchers in the US (Princeton University, University of Maryland) has developed an efficient and self-concentrating crystallization method for the selective extraction of lithium from both brine and seawater. The sequential and separable crystallization of cation species with different concentrations and solubilities was enabled by a twisted and slender 3D porous natural cellulose fibre structure via capillary and evaporative flows. The process exhibited an evaporation rate as high as 9.8 kg m−2 h−1, and it selectively concentrated lithium by orders of magnitude. They characterized the composition and spatial distribution of crystals, and a transport model deciphered the ion re-distribution process in situ and demonstrated the system scalability via a 100-crystallizer array… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Twist fibre structures achieve high water lifting and faster evaporation from brine water. Credit: Nature Water, 07 September 2023Â