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How to make lithium extraction cleaner, faster and cheaper — in six steps

Demand for lithium for batteries and other green technologies is exploding. The industry must develop sustainable methods to remove and process the element from ores and brines to avoid environmental damage.
  1. Andrew Z. Haddad

    1. Andrew Z. Haddad is a research scientist in the Energy Storage and Distributed Resources Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA.

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  2. Lukas Hackl

    1. Lukas Hackl is a research affiliate in the Energy Storage and Distributed Resources Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA, and chief executive at Aepnus Technology, Oakland, California, USA.

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  3. Bilen Akuzum

    1. Bilen Akuzum is a research affiliate in the Energy Storage and Distributed Resources Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA, and chief technology officer at Aepnus Technology, Oakland, California, USA.

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  4. Garrett Pohlman

    1. Garrett Pohlman is a research affiliate in the Energy Storage and Distributed Resources Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA, and research and development engineer at Aepnus Technology, Oakland, California, USA.

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  5. Jean-François Magnan

    1. Jean-François Magnan is an industry consultant at JF Magnan Consulting, Neuville, Canada.

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  6. Robert Kostecki

    1. Robert Kostecki is a senior staff scientist and director of the Energy Storage and Distributed Resources Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA.

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Two workers wearing yellow overalls in a lithium evaporation pond in the Atacama desert, Chile

Workers in a lithium evaporation pond in the Atacama Desert in Chile. Credit: Philippe Psaila/Science Photo Library

Demand for lithium is soaring. The element is a crucial ingredient in green technologies, including batteries in phones, laptops, electric cars and electricity grids1,2. Lithium ion batteries are among the best options for holding charge and delivering power efficiently. By 2025, demand for elemental lithium is set to be three times higher (150,000–190,000 tonnes) than it was in 20183. And by 2100, that could rise to 400,000–700,000 tonnes per year4.

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Nature 616, 245-248 (2023)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-00978-2

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Competing Interests

L.H., B.A. and G.P. are employees of Aepnus Technology, a company developing technology for salt electrolysis.

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