Battery Electrode-Based Lithium Recovery from Geothermal Brines

Desalination technologies have heavily been investigated to utilize the abundant salt water on Earth due to the global freshwater shortage. During recent years, the desalination battery (DB) has attracted attention for its low-cost, eco-friendly, and energy-efficient characteristics. However, the current DB system is subject to inevitable performance degradation because of the mass-transfer limitation at the electrode-electrolyte interface, particularly when the system is used to treat brackish water. Here, we present a novel strategy to overcome the intrinsic mass-transfer limitation of DB in brackish water using an effective cell design based on a multichannel flow system. Compared to the conventional DB that consists of one feed channel, the multichannel desalination battery (MC-DB) is configured using two side channels introducing a highly concentrated solution to the electrodes and one middle feed channel for water desalination. The MC-DB showed a desalination capacity of 52.9 mg g-1 and a maximum salt removal rate of 0.0576 mg g-1 s-1 (production rate of 42.3 g m-2 h-1) when a salinity gradient between the feed streams in the middle (10 mM NaCl) and side (1000 mM NaCl) channels was present, which were 3-fold higher than those in the case with no salinity gradient. In addition, the high concentration solution in the side channel significantly enhanced the rate capability of MC-DB, allowing the system to operate under a high current density of 40 A m-2 with a desalination capacity of 34.1 mg g-1. Considering the effect of electrolyte concentration on the battery electrode performance through electrochemical characterization, the highly saline medium at the side channel in the MC-DB creates an optimal environment for the battery electrode to fully capitalize the high desalination capacity, salt removal rate, and capacity retention of the battery electrodes.

Nafion-coated Prussian blue electrodes to enhance the stability and efficiency of battery desalination system

Layered metal oxychlorides, featuring robust M-O frameworks and high theoretical capacities from conversion-type Cl- storage, represent a compelling class of cathode materials for Chloride-ion batteries (CIBs). Nevertheless, the large volume fluctuations inherent to conversion reactions often cause structural degradation and poor cycling reversibility. Here, we introduce a morphology-regulated strategy to modulate the structural dynamics of bismuth oxychloride (BiOCl) cathodes. BiOCl materials with pH-dependent morphologies ranging from nanoplates to submicron spheres were synthesized via hydrothermal crystallization, where the evolution was controlled by a dynamic balance between self-assembly and recrystallization. Nanoplates (BiOCl-N) exhibit superior Cl-storage capability, enabled by a high surface area, open mesoporous architecture, and accelerated ion diffusion. In situ XRD and ex situ XPS confirm a highly reversible Bi3+/Bi0 redox process in BiOCl-N, accompanied by dynamic Bi-O bond reconfiguration coupled with Cl- migration. In contrast, bulk BiOCl-B and spherical BiOCl-S suffer from sluggish kinetics and incomplete reoxidation. Consequently, BiOCl-N maintains 158.5 mAh g-1 after 200 cycles at 200mA g-1, over twofold the retention of bulk BiOCl-B. Finite element analysis reveals the lowest interfacial stress during cycling, indicating that morphology control effectively mitigates stress-induced collapse. This work underscores morphology engineering as an intrinsic route to stabilize phase transitions and enable high-performance CIBs.

This study investigates the performance of Lewatit TP 260 ion exchange resin for the efficient recovery of lithium (Li(I)) from geothermal water sourced from the Germencik Geothermal Power Plant in Türkiye. A series of batch sorption experiments were performed to evaluate the influence of key parameters, including resin dosage, solution pH, temperature, initial Li(I) concentration, and contact time, on the Li(I) recovery process. The optimal conditions were determined to be a resin dose of 0.5 g per 25 mL of geothermal water, pH in the range of 6–8, and a temperature of 25°C. Under these conditions, the resin achieved a maximum Li(I) recovery rate of 71% from the geothermal water. Sorption isotherms were further analyzed using the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) models. Among these, the Langmuir model provided the best fit (R² = 0.9841), suggesting a maximum sorption capacity (qm) of 4.31 mg/g. Continuous recovery experiments conducted in column mode confirmed the practical applicability of Lewatit TP 260, achieving a total sorption capacity of 0.41 mg Li(I)/mL resin. The findings exhibit the potential of this resin as a viable sorbent for sustainable Li(I) extraction from geothermal brines, supporting the development of green energy technologies and contributing to the circular economy.

Experimental investigation of a passive cooling system for photovoltaic modules efficiency improvement in hot and arid regions

Energy and economic analysis of geothermal–solar trigeneration systems: A case study for a hotel building in Ischia

A novel layered birnessite-type sodium molybdate as dual-ion electrodes for high capacity battery

Vanadium oxide nanostars were synthesized by chemical method. The prepared Vanadium oxide nanostars are introduced into dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) as counter electrode (CE) catalyst to replace the expensive platinum (Pt). The products were characterized by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method. The photovoltaic performance of the VO as counter electrode based DSSC was evaluated under simulated standard global AM 1.5G sunlight (100 mW/cm2). The solar to electrical energy conversion efficiency (η) of the DSSC was found to be 0.38%.This work expands the Counter electrode catalyst, which can help to reduce the cost of DSSC and thereby encourage their fundamental research and commercial application.

Graphite‐derived carbon materials have been widely used in metal‐ion batteries due to their good mechanical and electrical properties, cost effectiveness, light weight, and environmental friendliness. Though natural graphite has been commercially used in lithium‐ion batteries, the small interlayer spacing hinders its application in other metal‐ion batteries. As such, numerous works have been done to enhance the metal‐ion storage capability of graphite and its derivatives. In this review, structural engineering on graphite including expanded graphite, graphite intercalation compounds and porous graphite, and the corresponding electrolyte engineering for lithium‐ion batteries, sodium ion batteries, potassium ion batteries, and dual ion batteries are summarized, aiming to make a comparison between various strategies and give a suggestion on future work in this area.

Two-Dimensional Metal–Organic Frameworks with Unique Oriented Layers for Oxygen Reduction Reaction: Tailoring the Activity through Exposed Crystal Facets

High performance electrochemical saline water desalination using silver and silver-chloride electrodes

During the past twenty years, much effort has been undertaken to obtain lithium secondary batteries with higher energy densities, and a great progress has been made. However, there is still an increasing demand for further lightweight and small-size rechargeable batteries for portable electronic devices. In addition, recent environmental concerns about global warming and the need to reduce CO2 emissions provide us a strong driving force for developing large-scale lithium secondary batteries with high energy densities for use in electric vehicles. One of the important requirements of negative electrode material to get a lithium secondary battery having a large energy density, the redox potential at the negative electrode should be as low as possible. In the present work, we report Nb-based oxides as active materials for the negative electrode of lithium secondary batteries. Composite electrodes were used for charge/discharge tests and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The test electrode was prepared by coating a mixture of the Nb-based oxide powder (80 wt.%) and a carbon black (10 wt.%) and a poly(vinylidene difluoride) binder (10 wt.%) on copper foil. The charge and discharge tests were carried using conventional three-electrode cells at a constant current of 18.1 mA g–1. The electrolyte solution was 1 mol dm–3 (M) LiClO4 dissolved in 1:1 (by volume) mixtures of ethylene carbonate (EC) and diethyl carbonate (DEC) (EC + DEC) (Kishida Chemical Co., Lithium Battery Grade). The counter and reference electrodes were lithium foil. CV was performed between 3.0 and 30.0 V at a sweep rate of 0.5 mV s–1. All electrochemical measurements were carried out in an argon-filled glovebox with a dew point < –60 °C. All potentials are referred to as volts vs. Li/Li+.The electrochemical properties of Li1.1Nb0.9O2-x material was theoretically predicted by first principal method and experimentally tested by electrochemical method. The potential of Li1.1Nb0.9O2-x for lithium ion insertion into and extraction out of the material, as predicted through theoretical calculations, was quite low below 0.3 V vs. Li/Li+, giving high cell voltage as a negative electrode material for lithium secondary batteries. Li1.1Nb0.9O2-x was successfully synthesized by a solid state reaction and shown to have good cycle performance, although there is a large irreversible capacity in the first cycle. The main reversible reaction of the material is occurred at almost 0 V vs. Li/Li+. The low potential is originated from the electronic structure of the Li1.1Nb0.9O2-x; it acts as a favorable factor for an increase in energy density even though the possibility of an increase in electrolyte decomposition is present in initial charging process. The study on the electrochemical properties of Li1.1M0.9O2-x (M=Ti, Cr, Zr, and Mo) might be meaningful because those compounds present low potentials for lithium ion insertion as predicted by the first principal method and show high cell voltage as a negative electrode material for lithium secondary batteries.The NbO2 electrode showed a large irreversible capacity and small discharge capacity. The results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicate that the poor electrode performance of NbO2 may be caused by niobium pentoxide (Nb2O5) formed on the surface of active material. The Nb2O5 could be removed by chemical etching to some extent, thus improving the electrode performance. In addition, The electrochemical properties of niobium monoxide, NbO, were investigated as a negative electrode material for lithium-ion batteries. Lithium ions were inserted into and extracted from NbO material at potentials < 1.0 V versus Li/Li+. The process involved the formation of a solid electrolyte interface (SEI) on the NbO surface in the first cycle. The reversible capacity was ~67 mAh g–1 with a capacity retention of ~109% after 50 cycles. The magnitude of the charge transfer resistance was greatly decreased by ball-milling the pristine NbO, but the ball-milling had no effect on the SEI resistance. References1) K.T. Jacob, C. Shekhar, M. Vinay, Y. Waseda, J. Chem. Eng. Data, 55,4854 (2010).2) L.-F. Cui, Y. Yang, C.-M. Hsu, Y. Cui, Nano Lett., 9, 3370 (2009).

Hierarchical carbon-rich materials have shown immense potential for various electrochemical applications. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are well suited precursors for obtaining such templated carbon matrices. Usually these conversions are carried out by energy intensive processes and lead to the presence of toxic transition metal residues. Herein, we demonstrate the green, scalable, microwave-assisted synthesis of a three-dimensional s-block metal based MOF and its efficient transformation into a carbonaceous material. The MOF-derived solid functions as a negative electrode for lithium-ion batteries having moderate low-rate capacities and cycling stability.

Neutron reflectometry is used to study in situ the intercalation of lithium into amorphous silicon electrodes. The experiments are done using a closed three-electrode electrochemical cell setup. As a working electrode, an about 40 nm thick amorphous silicon layer is used that is deposited on a 1 cm thick quartz substrate coated with palladium as a current collector. The counter electrode and the reference electrode are made of lithium metal. Propylene carbonate with 1 M LiClO4 is used as an electrolyte. The utility of the cell is demonstrated during neutron reflectometry measurements where Li is intercalated at a constant current of 100 μA (7.8 μA cm(-2)) for different time steps. The results show (a) that the change in Li content in amorphous silicon and the corresponding volume expansion can be monitored, (b) that the formation of the solid electrolyte interphase becomes visible and (c) that an irreversible capacity loss is present.

An Iron based Metal-Organic Framework is proposed as an active material for negative electrode of lithium battery. The material is characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen uptake (BET) and thermogravimetric Analyses (TGA). Electrochemical properties have been determined by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic cycling in coin cells using lithium metal as counter electrodes. The electrochemical evaluation has revealed a significant enhancement in the capacity (550 mAh/g) with a mean voltage of 0.9 V vs Li+/Li compared to the actual graphite (300 mAh/g) or Li4Ti5O12 (170 mAh/g) and a good cyclability showing the interest of such material.