Scientists Devise Game-Changing Way to Extract Lithium From Salt Lakes | As global demand for lithium skyrockets, this newly devised method could be a huge boon for lithium production.

From the article: Lithium, this silvery-white metal, has become the lifeblood of the modern world, powering everything from smartphones to electric cars. But as demand for lithium soars, the race to secure it has grown increasingly fraught.

The precious lithium is extracted through mining from rock ores, which is costly, slow, and environmentally damaging. But, perhaps surprisingly, most lithium extraction relies on evaporating brine in huge ponds under the sun for a year or more. The process leaves behind a lithium-rich solution. But heavy use of potentially toxic chemicals is required to finish the job.

Now, [researchers](https://www.nature.com/articles/s44221-025-00398-8) at Imperial College London have unveiled a new technology that could be a game changer in how we harvest lithium from the salty waters of lakes and geothermal springs.

The researchers have devised a polymer membrane with tiny, precisely engineered hourglass-shaped pores that can selectively filter lithium ions from complex brine solutions. These salty solutions are rich in lithium but also contain other ions like sodium, potassium, and magnesium. Traditional methods of lithium extraction struggled to separate these ions efficiently.

This technology has failed commercially a few times over the last few years. A bunch of companies tried to use it and haven’t got out of the lab with it.