NSERC-DFG SUSTAIN: Prussian White for Sustainable Separation and Purification Technologies

在锂离子电池中储存1太瓦时的能量需要大约10万吨锂。锂矿每天可以消耗高达5万升的水，目前一半以上的锂产量位于水资源高度紧张的地区。与电池生产规模扩大(2031年为2-6太瓦时/年)相关的资源限制要求锂的替代提取方法。与此同时，淡水短缺在世界许多地区已经很普遍。在达尔豪西大学(哈利法克斯)和卡尔斯鲁厄理工学院(KIT)之间的这一跨学科和国际项目提案“DESA-LINA-TE”中，总体目标是开发通过电化学方法从盐水或海水中分离和提纯锂离子或钠离子的新颖、成本效益和能源效率高的技术。目前在材料寿命、选择性和可扩展性方面的瓶颈将通过围绕普鲁士白材料类别建立一个平台来解决，该平台将为锂提取和海水淡化过程量身定做。我们的材料开发方法的基础是一个计算框架，它推动对阳离子插入选择性和高盐度水介质中降解过程的起源的理解。为了进一步查明与工艺有关的障碍，将通过散装和表面敏感分析技术详细研究材料的劣化和抑制。这些知识将被用来开发保护机制和再生程序，以确保长周期寿命和高能源效率。碱金属的淡化和提取可以在不同的电池设置中通过使用“串联”方法(可在DAL获得)或“双离子”方法(可在KIT获得)进行。在“DESA-LINA-TE”框架内，这两项技术将由合作伙伴共同推进。其目标是使新型海水淡化电池的能效超过最先进的反渗透海水淡化(约4千瓦时/立方米淡水)，这将代表淡水发电技术的一步变化。同样，该项目中开发的电化学锂提取工艺的目标是锂提取选择性为&gt；98%，并生产高度富锂的盐水溶液，同时减少淡水消耗和提取时间。探索这项用于地热卤水、回收废水或海水淡化的卤水废料的技术，开辟了向呈指数级增长的电池行业供应合乎道德的锂的新途径。附加值来自新型高通用性普鲁士白镶嵌材料的开发，这将推进加拿大和欧洲在电池供应链方面的战略倡议。该项目将为高素质的电池工艺技术人员提供独特的培训经验，例如材料合成和电极涂层。

Storing 1 TWh of energy in lithium-ion batteries requires ~100,000 tons of lithium. Lithium mines can consume up to 50,000 liters of water a day and more than half of today's lithium production is in areas with high water stress. The resource limitations associated with the scale-up of battery production (2-6 TWh/year in 2031) require alternative extraction methods for lithium. At the same time, freshwater scarcity is already prevalent in many world regions. In this interdisciplinary and international project proposal "desa-LiNa-te" between Dalhousie University (Halifax) and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the overarching goal is to develop novel, cost effective and energy efficient separation and purification technologies for Li- or Na-ions from brine or sea water by means of electrochemical methods. Current bottlenecks with respect to material longevity, selectivity and scalability will be addressed by building a platform around the material class of Prussian White that will be tailored to Li-extraction and desalination processes. The basis of our material development approach is a computational framework that drives understanding of cation insertion selectivities and origins of degradation processes in aqueous media with high salinity. To further identify process-related roadblocks material deterioration and inhibition will be studied in detail by bulk and surface-sensitive analytical techniques. This knowledge will be leveraged to develop protection mechanisms and regeneration procedures to ensure long cycle life and high energy efficiency. The desalination and extraction of alkali metals can be conducted in different cell setups by either using a "tandem" (available at DAL) or a "dual-ion" (available at KIT) approach. Within the framework of "desa-LiNa-te" both technologies will be advanced jointly by the partners. The objective is to enable novel desalination cells that surpass the energy efficiency of state-of-the-art reverse osmosis desalination (~4 kWh/m3 freshwater), which would represent a step change in freshwater generation technology. Similarly, the electrochemical lithium extraction processes developed in this program target Li extraction selectivity of >98 % and production of highly Li-enriched brine solutions, while reducing freshwater consumption and extraction times. Exploring this technology for geothermal brines, recycling waste waters or brine reject from desalination opens new avenues to supply the exponentially growing battery industry with ethically mined lithium. Added value comes from the development of novel highly versatile Prussian White insertion materials, which will advance Canada's and Europe’s strategic initiative for battery supply chains. This project will provide a unique training experience for highly qualified personnel in battery process technology, e.g., materials synthesis and electrode coating.