Rice University researchers developed a new way to get lithium back from battery waste that can recover up to 87% of lithium from discarded battery cathodes in just 15 minutes.

The researchers used microwave radiation and a biodegradable deep eutectic solvent (DES) mixture of choline chloride and ethylene glycol.

Lithium is a critical metal essential for rechargeable batteries, but its supply is limited due to increasing demand from electric vehicles, energy storage systems, and modern consumer technology.

The global market for lithium-ion batteries is projected to expand significantly, exacerbating existing supply challenges, with predictions suggesting lithium mines may only meet half of the demand by 2030.

Conventional recycling methods involving harsh acids have limitations in recovering lithium efficiently from discarded battery cathodes, recovering less than 5%, and the process can be time-consuming and inefficient.

The microwave-assisted lithium leaching process transfers energy to molecules quickly, resulting in faster recovery. The choline chloride in the DES absorbs microwaves, allowing selective leaching of lithium over other metals by surrounding it with chloride ions.

The method exploits the magnetic properties of cobalt-based cathodes used in EVs, which unexpectedly magnetize during the process, allowing for effective separation and purification of exhausted battery materials. It can recover up to 98% of metals, minimizing environmental impact and enhancing lithium recovery rates, providing a sustainable recycling solution.

The study was supported by the United States Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the United States Army Corps of Engineers ERDC, and the Rice Academy Fellowship.

Sources: MINING.com, Meteo Giornale, New Atlas, AZoCleantech, Innovation News Network

This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.

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Solar energy plays an enormous role in our lives. If we can harness it, we can eliminate the need for polluting fossil fuels like petroleum and gas. But the main challenge in switching to solar energy lies in the varying availability of sunlight as the day progresses and seasons change.

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Since the electrical grid needs stable power at all hours of the day and night, use of solar energy depends on our ability to store it. But the current technology for storing solar energy, batteries, is inapplicable to solar energy storage in the amounts need to supply a manufacturing site, a neighborhood, or an entire city.

Researchers from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have made a scientific breakthrough on the storage of solar energy, as reported by Energy & Environmental Science. A project led by Professor Avner Rothschild of the Technion's Faculty of Materials Science doctoral student Yifat Piekner from the Nancy and Stephen Grand Technion Energy Program (GTEP  has shown that hematite can serve as a promising material in converting solar energy into hydrogen.

The process entails the use of photoelectrochemical solar cells, which are similar to photovoltaic cells, but instead of producing electricity, they produce hydrogen using the electric power (current × voltage) generated in them. The power then uses sunlight energy to dissociate water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.

Hydrogen is easy to store and when used as fuel, does not involve greenhouse gas or carbon emissions.

One of the main challenges of photoelectrochemical cells is the development of efficient and stable photoelectrodes in a base or acid electrolyte, which is the chemical environment in which water can be efficiently split into hydrogen and oxygen. This is where hematite-based photoelectrochemical cells come into play. Hematite is an iron oxide that has a similar chemical composition to rust. Hematite is inexpensive, stable and nontoxic, and has properties that are suitable for water splitting.

However, hematite also has its disadvantages. For reasons that are still unclear, the photon-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency in hematite-based devices is not even half of the theoretical limit for this material. The new Technion research builds on findings recently published in Nature Materials and proposes an explanation. It transpires that the photons absorbed by hematite produce localized electronic transitions that are "chained" to a specific atomic location in the hematite crystal, rendering them incapable of generating the electric current used for water splitting.

But a new analysis method developed by Piekner and her research colleagues, Dr. David Ellis of the Technion and Dr. Daniel Grave of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, the following data were measured for the first time: Quantum efficiency in the generation of mobile (productive) and localized (nonproductive) electronic transitions in a material as a result of photon absorption at different wavelengths, and electron-hole separation efficiency.

This is the first time that these two properties (the first, optical in nature and the second, electrical) have been measured separately, allowing for deeper understanding of the factors that influence the energy efficiency of materials for converting solar energy into hydrogen or electricity.

The research study was sponsored by the Israel Science Foundation's research center for photocatalysts and photoelectrodes for hydrogen production in the Petroleum Alternatives for Transportation Program, the Grand Technion Energy Program (GTEP) and the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute (RBNI) at the Technion.

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The Israeli startup scene just can't get enough of deep space and the research opportunities it offers. Last October, Israel Hayom reported that Rehovot based slaughter-free meat startup Aleph Farms was collaborating with technology companies and space agencies to integrate its innovations into existing space programs and ultimately cultivate its meat in space-based BioFarms.

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Now two more startups are looking to space to develop their technology.

On Wednesday, StoreDot, which develops extra-fast charging battery technology for electric vehicles, announced that in conjunction with the Israel Electric Corporation, it had been approved by NASA to conduct the first space-based research and development program into new battery materials.

As part of the Israel Space Agency and The Ramon Foundation's pioneering RAKIA mission to the International Space Station in February 2022, StoreDot's XFC technology will undergo two weeks of rigorous testing in zero gravity conditions.

In a specially-devised experiment, coin cells of StoreDot's silicon-dominant anode XFC battery will undergo hundreds of charge and discharge cycles, with the results collected by means of a computer contained within the enclosed unit. Once the experiment, which was designed in collaboration with and funded by the IEC, is returned to earth, StoreDot's team of scientists will undertake extensive analysis of the data, as well as examine the battery itself to note any physical or chemical changes that have taken place during the experiment.

StoreDot will use the experiment to gain new insights into the chemical reactions that cause silicon to expand during the fast-charging process. This will be achieved by using zero gravity conditions to identify irregularities in the silicon surface of the anode. Importantly, the findings from the research will be incorporated into the first engineering samples of StoreDot's silicon-dominant anode XFC battery for EVs, which will be available for testing by the end of 2022.

StoreDot CEO Dr. Doron Myersdorf said, "We are incredibly proud to join forces with the IEC, The Ramon Foundation and the Israel Space Agency on this historic mission. StoreDot remains steadfast on pushing the boundaries of battery materials research and development and this project marks the next exciting stage in that journey.

"This will be the first time XFC has been tested in the zero gravity conditions of space and we believe the results could be absolutely game-changing. Not only in terms of advancing XFC technology, but also, potentially, by opening up entirely new avenues in materials research that will have implications that extend far beyond the battery industry," Myersdorf added.

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From batteries to brainwaves: Health tech startup Myndlift announced Wednesday that it also had been selected to participate in the RAKIA mission to the International Space Station.

Myndlift utilizes neurofeedback, a non-invasive methodology that measures brainwave activity and trains the brain using visual and auditory cues. This form of therapy has consistently been shown to improve brain health in high-performers. An extensive review of EEG-neurofeedback studies for optimizing performance in healthy individuals found evidence linking neurofeedback success and gains in sustained attention, executive functioning, working memory, and more.

Sustained attention and multitasking are critical for astronauts, whose work requires them to monitor and respond to multiple events simultaneously over an extended period, raising the specter of performance decline due to information overload and associated anxiety. Myndlift, which utilizes the Muse headset together with an additional electrode, has passed a rigorous review process and been selected for the opportunity to be utilized by Israeli astronaut Eytan Stibbe, who is scheduled to be part of the mission.

Myndlift believes that its solution might help Stibbe function at his best. If the technology proves feasible and effective, it might be useful to astronauts on longer, expeditionary missions to farther locations, such as Mars.

Aziz Kaddan, CEO of Myndlift, explained, "We believe that neurofeedback is an under-utilized tool due, in most part, to its expense and the cumbersome equipment. By creating a remote-first neurofeedback tool and platform, we have enabled people worldwide to use this training methodology from their homes, and now from space."

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