Lithium (Li), along with cobalt (Co) and nickel (Ni), is a key element in rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles and is fundamental for the global energy transition. Global annual Li consumption is expected to increase exponentially, reaching 5.11 million tonnes by 2050, driven in part by the EU Green Deal, which mandates a complete shift toward electromobility by 2035.

However, current sourcing methods entail severe costs: Li extraction from hard rock causes irreversible environmental damage and the destruction of entire ecosystems, while its processing from salt lake brines consumes massive amounts of water. In Chile, for instance, lithium mining has already depleted vital water supplies. Meanwhile, cobalt —another critical raw material (CRM)— is mainly imported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a market plagued by child labor, and its end-of-life recycling input rate in the EU is a mere 22%. Nickel, although not listed as critical, often originates from politically unstable regions; in fact, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine caused its price to skyrocket in March 2022, exposing our external vulnerability. Beyond these elements, the World Bank estimates that over 3 billion tonnes of minerals and metals (such as Cu, Zn, or Pb) will be required to deploy the wind, solar, and geothermal energy needed to keep global warming below 2 °C.

Against this backdrop, the ELECTROmonoLITH project, funded by the European Research Council (ERC Consolidator Grant), focuses on electrochemically switched ion exchange (ESIX). The ESIX method has emerged as a technically viable and significantly more sustainable pathway for metal recovery from complex matrices, as it enables material reuse, integrates with photovoltaic panels, minimizes or eliminates external chemical inputs, and avoids secondary pollution. Furthermore, it offers remarkable selectivity by combining electricity as a driving force with the insertion of ions into active sites that complement the metal in both topography and chemical functionality.

However, achieving the concentration and purity required for industrial exploitation of the metal concentrate remains a challenge using existing electrodes, which are mostly derived from the battery field. Therefore, ELECTROmonoLITH will develop 3D-printed monolithic electrodes tailored for the efficient and highly selective separation of lithium, cobalt, nickel, platinum, palladium, and other critical or toxic metals. The ultimate goal is to apply ESIX technology to achieve a more energy-efficient extraction of these metals from secondary sources and waste streams, such as e-waste leachates or industrial and battery recycling wastewater.