The electrolyzer architecture features a tailored porosity and tortuosity profile that governs fluid flow, ion transport, and interfacial interactions, enabling preferential lithium migration and concentration. By optimizing convective and diffusive transport pathways, the system achieves a significant increase in lithium concentration relative to the feed brine. Furthermore, the design exploits solubility differences and selective ion transport to enhance the Li/Na mass ratio by 20 times, streamlining downstream purification steps.
This talk will highlight the critical role of fluid flow and ionic transport in structured porous media for selective mineral recovery. The approach provides a scalable, environmentally conscious alternative to conventional evaporation methods, with broader implications for the extraction of critical minerals from low-concentration resources.