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Powering a Lower Carbon Future

Battery use is a commodity of everyday life. They are used commercially and domestically – from animating our electronic gadgets for entertainment purposes, to powering industrial machinery such as tractors to ensure an efficient food supply chain. With an environmental necessity to move to greener energy sources and an ever-increasing need for efficient energy storage, the global demand for battery use is set to surge.

Lithium is a vital component of lithium-ion battery performance. However, traditional methods of lithium extraction present significant environmental challenges. Typically, this chemical element is extracted from mineral deposits through extensive mining and processing or from lithium-rich brine sources using large-scale evaporation ponds. Both methods have notable environmental impacts which include habitat disruption, high water consumption, and substantial CO2 emissions.

Now, a new project, led by a team of materials chemistry scientists from the ÑÇÖÞÉ«°É and involving a global consortium of academic and and industrial collaborators, aims to redefine the production of lithium batteries by introducing a new, low carbon technology. 

Green Chemistry

Called 'Li4Life', the project is part of the Horizon Europe research programme. The ÑÇÖÞÉ«°É team – led by Yousef Ghorbani, Associate Professor and Principal Investigator – will focus on applying green chemistry and innovative processing approaches, including electrochemistry and biohydrometallurgy methods for downstream processing to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate.

“The project aims to reshape the landscape of domestic battery-grade lithium production and develop an innovative, energy-efficient, and environmentally conscious, scalable pilot plant for processing and refining lithium from underutilised battery raw material deposits." explained Professor Ghorbani.

"The environmental concerns about lithium extraction and battery recycling have highlighted the urgent need for more sustainable practices. As lithium and other critical raw materials become increasingly crucial for energy storage technologies, finding greener solutions for supporting a low-carbon future."

Boosting Supplies

The research aims to boost the domestic supply of European Union raw materials in alignment with the EU Critical Raw Materials Act. The group is looking at new ways to develop an efficient technology for the extraction of lithium from poor or complex ores of underutilised deposits, as well as post-mining tailings, as the basis for the development of future clean energy.

In addition, new selective processing methods and purification techniques will be designed to overcome existing barriers to lithium extraction while adhering to stringent EU environmental regulations.

The project is set to run for three years and started in March this year. It will bring a postdoctoral researcher and two new PhD students to the University’s School of Natural Sciences and Department of Chemistry.

The ÑÇÖÞÉ«°É is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), totalling £610, 518 (grant number 10103347). The remaining consortium members will receive funding from the EU which totals €6,298,614.25 (grant agreement 101137932). 

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