Scientists develop ‘cheap and easy’ method to extract lithium from seawater

Re:Scientists develop ‘cheap and easy’ method to extract lit... by einpoklum on Sunday June 06, 2021 @07:14AM (#27412309)

IIAN, 5,000 tons of water is 5,000 cubic meters' worth, right?

Wouldn't this process also quickly reduce the local concentration of Lithium in the water surrounding the processing station? Making sustained operations difficult?

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Re:Scientists develop ‘cheap and easy’ method to extract lit... by nkrisc on Sunday June 06, 2021 @07:35AM (#27412413)

In 1891 Chicago built a water intake four miles offshore in Lake Michigan, with pipes under the lakebed. I bet we could do a lot better than that, over 100 years later.

Likewise between the tide and currents you might have sufficient mixing if new seawater.

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Re:Scientists develop ‘cheap and easy’ method to extract lit... by einpoklum on Sunday June 06, 2021 @08:42AM (#27412766)

If I'm in a bay, maybe not so much.

Anyway, like you said - "maybe".

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Re:Scientists develop ‘cheap and easy’ method to extract lit... by nkrisc on Sunday June 06, 2021 @06:51PM (#27417078)

Yeah I’m sure every location is totally unique in terms of currents and such, and would have to be investigated individually at any proposed site.

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Re:Scientists develop ‘cheap and easy’ method to extract lit... by heartbreak on Sunday June 06, 2021 @09:06AM (#27412880)

We could repurpose offshore oil rigs.

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Re:Scientists develop ‘cheap and easy’ method to extract lit... by einpoklum on Sunday June 06, 2021 @11:01AM (#27413646)

It's still not clear that the mixing will be faster than the flow through the Lithium extractor, if that extractor needs 5000 m^3 / Kg of output, and wants to get to, oh, 1000 Kg / day.

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Re:Scientists develop ‘cheap and easy’ method to extract lit... by bigfudge on Sunday June 06, 2021 @07:27AM (#27412373)

The sea is big, pipes can be long

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