Membrane-based alkali metal extraction system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12012664-B1
Application number	US-202318122581-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 16, 2023
Priority date	Mar 16, 2023
Publication date	Jun 18, 2024
Grant date	Jun 18, 2024

Abstract

The presently disclosed concepts relate to improved techniques for critical mineral extraction, purification, precipitation, ion exchange, and metal production using a solid electrolyte membrane. By using a solid electrolyte embedded in a matrix, alkali metal (such as lithium) can be more effectively separated from feed solutions. Additionally, energy used to initially extract critical minerals from a feed solution may be stored as electrochemical energy, which in turn, may be discharged when critical minerals are depleted from the electrode. This discharged energy may therefore be reclaimed and reused to extract additional critical minerals.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An alkali metal extraction system, comprising:
an anode;
a cathode, wherein the anode is configured for oxidation and the cathode is configured for reduction, and wherein migration of a predetermined alkali metal ion through an ion-selective solid electrolyte membrane is driven by a potential across the anode and the cathode, wherein the ion-selective solid electrolyte membrane is selectively permeable to the predetermined alkali metal ion, and wherein the predetermined alkali metal ion migrates through a single particle of the solid electrolyte of the layer;
at least one active material;
a first solution comprising the predetermined alkali metal ion; and
a second solution comprising the migrated predetermined alkali metal ion.

2. The alkali metal extraction system of claim 1 , wherein the first solution includes an anolyte, and the second solution includes a catholyte.

3. The alkali metal extraction system of claim 2 , wherein each of the anolyte and the catholyte includes:
an active material or one or more electroactive solutes or an electrode coating immersed in each of the anolyte and the catholyte,
one or more dissolved alkali metal cations, including the predetermined alkali metal ion,
one or more dissolved anions, and
a solvent.

4. The alkali metal extraction system of claim 3 , wherein the active material includes one or more of:
H2, Na+, Li metal, LFP, LMO, NCA, NMC, graphite,
Na-based active materials including Prussian Blue,
ferricyanide, ferrocyanide, or a redox state ferricyanide or ferrocyanide ([Fe(CN)6]3−/[Fe(CN)6]4−),
ferrocene (Fe(C5H5)2, ferrocenium Fe(C5H5)2+, cobaltocene (Co(C5H5)2, cobaltocenium Co(C5H5)2+, or any organic derivatives thereof,
vanadium-containing ions or vanadium coordination complexes, including one or more of pervanadyl (VO 2 + ), vanadyl (VO 2 + ), V2+, V3+,
phosphotungstic acid, or a redox state of phosphotungstic acid ([PW12O40]3−/[P2W21O71]6−/[PW11O39]7−, etc.),
phosphomolybdic acid, or a redox state of phosphomolybdic acid,
silicotungstic acid, or a redox state of slicotungstic acid, or
an ion of any common redox state of Fe, Co, Ni, or Cu, including one or more of Fe2+, Fe3+, Co2+, Co3+, Ni2+, Ni3+, Cu2+, Cu+, or any coordination complex thereof.

5. The alkali metal extraction system of claim 1 , further comprising a first current collector in contact with the first solution, and a second current collector in contact with the second solution.

6. The alkali metal extraction system of claim 5 , wherein each of the first current collector and the second current collector is electronically conductive, and made of at least one of aluminum, nickel, copper, titanium, stainless steel, graphite felt, or carbon fiber.

7. The alkali metal extraction system of claim 1 , wherein the anode has a first mean potential, and the cathode has a second mean potential wherein the first mean potential is less than or equal to the second mean potential such that the anode receives electronic charge as the predetermined alkali metal migrates from the first solution to the second solution.

8. The alkali metal extraction system of claim 1 , wherein the first solution includes one or more secondary ions.

9. The alkali metal extraction system of claim 8 , wherein a first concentration of the one or more secondary ions in the first solution is greater than a second concentration of the one or more secondary ions in the second solution.

10. The alkali metal extraction system of claim 1 , wherein the configuration of the ion-selective solid electrolyte membrane includes a solid electrolyte particle with a predetermined pore size corresponding with the predetermined metal ion.

11. The alkali metal extraction system of claim 1 , wherein the first solution is a geothermal brine or a salar brine.

12. The alkali metal extraction system of claim 1 , wherein the first solution comprises at least one of lithium minerals, lithium-containing brines, recycled lithium batteries, or seawater.

13. The alkali metal extraction system of claim 1 , wherein the second solution comprises a first electroactive solute, wherein the reduction of the first electroactive solute coincides with the migration of the predetermined alkali metal ion, and the first solution comprises a second electroactive solute, wherein oxidation of the second electroactive solute coincides with the migration of the predetermined alkali metal ion.

14. The alkali metal extraction system of claim 13 , wherein a first concentration of at least one H+ ion or at least one Na+ ion decreases in the second solution, and a second concentration of the at least one H+ ion or the at least one Na+ ion increases in the first solution.

15. The alkali metal extraction system of claim 1 , wherein the first solution includes LiOH at a first solubility, and the second solution includes an organic solution with second solubility, wherein the second solubility is lower than the first solubility.

16. The alkali metal extraction system of claim 15 , wherein the organic solution comprises H 2 O, wherein the H 2 O is configured to facilitate formation of an alkali salt.

17. The alkali metal extraction system of claim 1 , wherein the migrated predetermined alkali metal ion is configured to recombine with a hydroxyl group to precipitate.

18. The alkali metal extraction system of claim 1 , wherein input energy used to migrate the predetermined metal alkali ion is stored and recovered, at least in part, as electrochemical energy of the migrated predetermined metal alkali ion at the cathode.

19. The alkali metal extraction system of claim 18 , wherein the input energy corresponds with an electric charging at an electrode with the predetermined metal alkali ion and the electrochemical energy corresponds with an electric discharge at the electrode of the predetermined metal alkali ion.

20. The alkali metal extraction system of claim 18 , wherein the recovery of the input energy reduces a carbon footprint of a manufacturing facility.

Assignees

• Lyten Inc

Inventors

• Baucom Jesse
• Kolli Sanjeev

Classifications

• B01D2313/345

  Electrodes · CPC title

• B01D61/46

  Apparatus therefor · CPC title

• B01D61/44

  Ion-selective electrodialysis · CPC title

• C25C1/02 Primary

  of light metals · CPC title

• C25C7/02

  Electrodes (consumable anodes for the refining the metals C25C1/00 - C25C5/00); Connections thereof · CPC title