Manufacturing advanced nanocomposite membranes for selective lithium extraction

锂(Li)的需求在未来五年预计将增长50%以上。作为电池、电动汽车和储能的基本组成部分，锂在低碳经济中至关重要。如此高的需求要求北美供应链必须在国内供应锂。艾伯塔省拥有全球化的锂资源，可以利用温室气体净零排放的新技术。目前，锂的主要来源是盐湖卤水、油田废水和锂矿石。艾伯塔省的油田地下卤水中蕴藏着丰富的锂，但到目前为止，它一直被视为工业废物而被忽视。从卤水中提取锂离子是复杂的，主要是由于大量化学相似的离子共存，如Na+和K+。传统的吸附、离子交换等方法效率低、可扩展性差。锂选择膜由具有原子可调尺寸的先进材料制造，为在纳米孔中模拟分子现象创造了机会。该项目旨在将选择性受体引入到聚合物膜中，以实现固定受体之间Li+的快速电导，并最大限度地减少不需要的物种的渗透。为了加强Li+的分离，将努力精确调整金属和多孔有机骨架等新材料的孔径和化学功能。便利运输的可行性也将通过使用应变调节的冠状纳米孔的膜的功能化来证明。贵金属的供应目前是艾伯塔省低碳未来的流动性加速器之一。作为镍和钴的领先供应商之一，艾伯塔省还计划建立自己作为锂离子电池原材料稳定和安全供应来源的地位。因此，该项目与高级计划优先事项(先进材料和制造技术)非常一致，将为艾伯塔省稀土金属回收和经济多元化提供新的市场机会。

The demand for lithium (Li) is projected to grow by over 50% in the next five years. As a fundamental component in batteries, electric vehicles, and energy storage, Li is critical in a low-carbon economy. Such a high demand necessitates domestic Li supply for the North American supply chain. Alberta has globalized lithium resources that can be capitalized on using new technologies with net-zero GHGs. Currently, the primary source of Li is salt-lake brine, oilfield wastewater, and lithium ores. Alberta's oilfields hold rich lithium deposits in subsurface brine, but it has been overlooked as industrial waste so far. The Li+ ions extraction from the brine is complicated primarily due to the coexistence of abundant chemically similar ions such as Na+ and K+. The conventional methods such as adsorption and ion exchange are not efficient and scalable. Li-selective membranes, manufactured by advanced materials with atomically tunable dimensions, create opportunities to mimic molecular phenomena in nanopores. This project aims to incorporate selective receptors into polymeric membranes to achieve fast conductance of Li+ between fixed receptors and minimum penetration of undesired species. To enhance Li+ separation, efforts will be made to accurately tune the pore size and chemical functionality of novel materials, such as metal and porous organic frameworks. The feasibility of facilitated transport will also be demonstrated by functionalizing membranes with strain-tuned crown nanopores.The supply of precious metals is currently one of Alberta's Accelerators on Mobility in the Low-Carbon Future. As one of the leading suppliers of nickel and cobalt, Alberta plans to also establish itself as a source of a stable and secure supply of raw materials for Li-ion batteries. Hence, this project, which aligns well with the Advance program priority (Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies), will provide new market opportunities for rare earth metal recovery and diversification of Alberta's economy.