Continuous flow extraction of lithium from brine using silica-coated LMO beads

Abstract

The increasing demand for lithium-ion batteries in the electric vehicle market has intensified the demand for efficient lithium extraction from salt lake brine. This study presents a novel approach using silica-coated lithium manganese oxide (LMO) adsorbents embedded in millimeter-sized sodium alginate (SA) beads (LMO@SiO₂/SA beads). By replacing expensive and environmentally detrimental tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) with low-cost, eco-friendly sodium metasilicate (Na₂SiO₃), we have developed a more sustainable and cost-effective lithium extraction method. Continuous flow adsorption–desorption experiments demonstrated the excellent performance of the LMO@SiO₂/SA beads, maintaining a lithium adsorption capacity of 6.22 mg g⁻¹ and a consistent manganese dissolution ratio of 1.26% per cycle after 50 cycles. These results highlight the potential of this approach for large-scale lithium extraction from salt lakes, providing a sustainable and economical option to support the growing electric vehicle industry.