Researchers Develop a New Process to Get Lithium Out of Rocks

Researchers develop a new process to get lithium out of rocks

If it scales up, it can help us diversify our sources of a key element.

MIT Scientists May Have Found a Way to Pull Lithium From Rocks Without Trashing the Planet

If scaled up, this method could easily address the biggest issues in lithium mining, as well as the looming supply crisis for the valuable element.

Closed-loop process could unlock cheaper lithium from rocks with near-zero waste

Demand for lithium has surged in recent years as lithium-ion batteries increasingly power more of our world. And yet, even as places like the U.S., Europe, and Australia have abundant lithium resources within their borders, China dominates global lithium refining. The biggest hurdle to tapping into the U.S. and Australia's lithium is getting it out of hard rock minerals in a form that is useful.

How a new extraction process could unlock the world’s lithium

Researchers say they’ve found a new way to extract lithium, a crucial metal used in the lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles and energy storage arrays. This new technique could be more environmentally friendly and cheaper than existing ones.  The research was published today in Science, and a startup called Rock Zero is working to commercialize the process. “At scale, we believe this will be the lowest-cost way of sourcing lithium …