Researchers at Columbia University’s School of Engineering have developed a method that pulls lithium directly from underground brines using a temperature-sensitive solvent, eliminating the giant evaporation ponds that can take years to operate and drain scarce water. The technique, called Switchable Solvent Selective Extraction (S3E), absorbs lithium at room temperature and releases purified metal when heated, regenerating the solvent for reuse.
In testing, S3E extracted lithium at rates up to 10 times higher than sodium and 12 times higher than potassium, recovering nearly 40% of the lithium after four cycles on the same solvent batch. It can run on low-grade waste heat or solar collectors and works on low-quality sources that current technologies struggle to tap.
The payoff is large: researchers say the Salton Sea deposit alone could supply lithium for more than 375 million EV batteries. "There’s no way solar evaporation alone can match future demand," said Professor Ngai Yin Yip, as automakers and grid-storage firms drive lithium demand to record highs.