Frontiers in liquid lithium mining: innovations and advances in extraction techniques

Abstract

This paper examines cutting-edge advancements in lithium extraction from salt lake brines, a field critical to supporting global renewable energy transitions. With over 80 % of China’s lithium reserves found in salt brines, improving extraction efficiency and sustainability has become a research priority. Conventional methods suffer from high energy consumption, environmental risks, and low recovery rates, especially under complex brine conditions. This review systematically analyzes innovative techniques—including membrane separation, adsorption, solvent extraction, and electrodialysis—focusing on their performance in enhancing lithium selectivity, reducing cost, and minimizing ecological impact. Quantitative analyses reveal that emerging adsorbents and modular membrane systems achieve lithium recovery rates exceeding 90 %, with purity levels up to 99.5 %, while hybrid processes such as nanofiltration-integrated electrodialysis reduce energy consumption compared to traditional approaches. The study emphasizes the promise of integrated and scalable extraction systems, which combine complementary unit operations to simultaneously improve efficiency and sustainability. We conclude that interdisciplinary cooperation among materials science, process engineering, and environmental management is essential to overcoming existing barriers to industrial implementation. These technological improvements are key to enabling economically viable and ecologically responsible lithium production, ultimately bolstering the supply chain for battery technologies and renewable energy infrastructure.