SBIR Phase I: Novel Apparatus for Producing High-Purity Lithium Metal

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目将确定使用新技术生产高纯度金属锂的可行性。现有的能源密集型生产方法在460摄氏度下运行，100多年来几乎没有变化，需要超过35千瓦时/公斤的金属锂。产品的纯度在很大程度上取决于原料，原料是通过进一步高温蒸馏步骤生产的高纯度锂。目前回归使用金属锂生产高能电池的趋势将增加对高纯度锂的需求。如果成功，建议的新型电解槽将以较低的加工温度和功率消耗生产更高质量的金属锂。该项目将测试和选择适合电解槽的组件，并演示它们在高纯锂生产中的用途。这项研究的更广泛/商业影响是一种能够生产大量高纯电池级锂金属的生产方法。交通和公用事业对储能的需求引发了对高能量密度电池的大量研究，保护或密封的金属锂电池正在开发中。转向金属锂电池将大大提高一系列基于能源的技术的可行性和成本效益，并将对减少温室气体排放产生直接影响。目前的金属锂生产方法将无法满足这些需求，这将阻碍这些电池的安装。此外，如果没有能源密集型蒸馏，目前的工艺将无法生产所需的产品纯度。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will determine feasibility of using new technology to produce high purity lithium metal. The existing energy-intensive production method operates at 460C, has changed little in over 100 years and requires over 35 kWh/kg of lithium metal. The purity of the product is very dependent on the feed material with high purity lithium produced via a further high-temperature distillation step. A current trend returning to using lithium metal to produce high energy batteries will increase demand for high-purity lithium. If successful, the proposed novel electrolyzer will produce higher quality lithium metal at lower processing temperatures and power consumption. This project will test and select suitable components for the electolyzer and demonstrate their use for high purity lithium production.The broader/commercial impacts of this research are a production method capable of producing large quantities of high-purity battery-grade lithium metal. The requirement for energy storage for transportation and utility applications has generated a large amount of research into high energy density batteries of which protected or sealed lithium metal batteries are being developed. The move to lithium metal batteries will greatly improve the viability and cost effectiveness of a range of energy based technologies, and will have a direct impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Current lithium metal production methods would not be able to meet these demands which would impede installation of these batteries. Furthermore the current process would not be able to produce the required purity of product without energy intensive distillations.