Testing of lithium-selective sorbents on a lab-scale

Based on literature study and laboratory experiments, KIT-team determines a potentially suitable Mn-oxide sorbent for direct lithium extraction from geothermal brines. The sorbent shows fast reaction kinetics at the elevated temperatures of the geothermal brine (60°C after cooling), a high adsorption capacity and only low sorption of competing ions. The strong sorbent stability indicates high reusability for many extraction cycles. In future steps, further laboratory experiments will be conducted in order (1) to verify the initial results; and (2) to investigate different ways of sorbent application into extraction chambers.