Described herein are methods of recovering lithium from dilute lithium sources. The methods include extracting lithium from an extraction feed using direct lithium extraction in an extraction stage to yield a lithium intermediate, performing one or more concentration operations, each concentration operation concentrating an input stream to yield an output feed, wherein the input stream is obtained from the lithium intermediate and/or the extraction feed is obtained from the output feed. At least one of the concentration operations includes a membrane separation operation having a plurality of reactors in series each having a semi-permeable membrane, such as a counter-flow reverse osmosis operation. Methods may also include generating a low TDS stream as a permeate from any of the one or more concentration operations, wherein the low TDS stream is recycled or used as fresh water.

Described herein are methods of recovering lithium from dilute lithium sources. The methods include extracting lithium from an extraction feed using direct lithium extraction in an extraction stage to yield a lithium intermediate, performing one or more concentration operations, each concentration operation concentrating an input stream to yield an output feed, wherein the input stream is obtained from the lithium intermediate and/or the extraction feed is obtained from the output feed. At least one of the concentration operations includes a membrane separation operation having a plurality of reactors in series each having a semi-permeable membrane, such as a counter-flow reverse osmosis operation. Methods may also include generating a low TDS stream as a permeate from any of the one or more concentration operations, wherein the low TDS stream is recycled or used as fresh water.

The invention relates to the energy industry, in particular to a device and a method for producing hydrogen, and can be used, for example, as a part of fuel systems of various vehicles in order to supply fuel to a hydrogen engine or hydrogen fuel cells. In the first aspect, the claimed invention is a device for producing hydrogen, comprising a housing and at least one rechargeable electrolytic cell with electrodes, which is mounted in the housing, the electrodes being an anode and a cathode, the cell being at least partially filled with a liquid water-based electrolyte, wherein the device comprises a sodium electrode isolated from the liquid electrolyte by a solid electrolyte configured to exchange positively charged sodium ions with the liquid electrolyte, and the cathode and the anode are separated by an ion-permeable partition. In the second aspect, the claimed invention is a method for producing hydrogen by alternating the discharging and charging processes of a rechargeable electrolytic cell.

Provided is a liquid-liquid extraction process and apparatus for recovering an alkali or alkaline earth metal or other metal from a source solution such as geothermal brine.

Provided is a liquid-liquid extraction process and apparatus for recovering an alkali or alkaline earth metal or other metal from a source solution such as geothermal brine.

An electroplating solution for lithium metal, and a method for preparing a lithium metal electrode using the same, and in particular, while preparing a lithium metal electrode using electroplating, a lithium metal electrode having enhanced surface properties may be prepared by electroplating using a plating solution including a lithium nitrogen oxide and a metal nitrogen oxide, and, by using such a lithium metal electrode in a battery, lifetime properties of the battery may be enhanced.

A decoupled plating system is provided for producing lithium. In a general embodiment, the present disclosure provides a feed tank configured to supply a lithium-rich aqueous electrolyte stream, a plating tank that is configured to receive an organic electrolyte and plate out lithium metal from that organic electrolyte, and one or more lithium replenishment cells configured to receive both electrolytes, keep them separated, and selectively move lithium ions from the aqueous electrolyte into the spent organic electrolyte stream. The present system and process can advantageously reduce operating costs and/or improve energy efficiency in production of lithium metal and associated products.

A system and process for purifying and concentrating lithium using a sequential and cyclical process of charging and discharging electrodes to selectively push ions from cell to cell, repeatedly drawing lithium from a cell containing source brine naturally containing lithium into a cell containing recovery brine intended to continually increase in lithium concentration.

A system and process for purifying and concentrating lithium using a sequential and cyclical process of charging and discharging electrodes to selectively push ions from cell to cell, repeatedly drawing lithium from a cell containing source brine naturally containing lithium into a cell containing recovery brine intended to continually increase in lithium concentration.

Systems and methods using solar evaporation to preconcentrate lithium containing brines to at or near lithium saturation, followed by a separation processes to separate lithium from impurities. A separated impurity stream is recycled to a point in the evaporation sequence where conditions are favorable for their precipitation and removal or disposed in a separate evaporation pond or reinjected underground, while a lower impurity stream is transferred to one or more of the removal location, to a subsequent pond in the sequence, or to a lithium plant or concentration facility. Further concentration of lithium by evaporation can then take place because impurities are removed thus eliminating lithium losses due to co-precipitation and achieving significantly higher concentrations of lithium.