Lithium May Soon Be Extracted from Brine Using Magnetic Nanoparticles
The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, under the U.S. Department of Energy and in collaboration with Moselle Technologies, recently launched a technology that utilizes magnetic nanoparticles to extract valuable minerals from brine. The nanoparticle is made up of magnetite, which is a form of iron oxide. These particles can be introduced into brine from seawater, mineral mining effluent, produced water and geothermal plants where they capture free-floating minerals. The iron core in the nanoparticles is attracted to any magnet it’s exposed to, together with the material it has captured, which can then be filtered from the brine. While its patent is…