Manufacturing advanced nanocomposite membranes for selective lithium extraction

未来五年，锂的需求预计将增长50%以上。作为电池、电动汽车和能源存储的基本组成部分，锂对低碳经济至关重要。如此高的需求使得北美供应链需要国内的锂供应。艾伯塔省拥有全球化的锂资源，可以利用新技术实现零温室气体排放。目前，锂的主要来源是盐湖卤水、油田废水和锂矿石。艾伯塔省的油田在地下卤水中蕴藏着丰富的锂矿床，但到目前为止，它一直被忽视为工业废物。从盐水中提取Li+离子是复杂的，主要是由于存在大量化学性质相似的离子，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，为模拟纳米孔中的分子现象创造了机会。本项目旨在将选择性受体结合到聚合物膜中，以实现固定受体之间Li+的快速导电，并将不需要的物质渗透到最小。为了加强Li+的分离，将努力精确地调整新材料的孔径和化学功能，如金属和多孔有机框架。便利运输的可行性也将被功能化膜与应变调谐冠纳米孔证明。贵金属的供应目前是阿尔伯塔省低碳未来流动性加速器之一。作为镍和钴的主要供应商之一，阿尔伯塔省还计划将自己打造成锂离子电池原材料的稳定和安全供应来源。因此，该项目与先进材料和制造技术优先项目（Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies）保持一致，将为艾伯塔省的稀土金属回收和经济多样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.