Selective electrochemical separation and recovery of lithium and other metals using tailored monolith.

ELECTROmonoLITH project, funded by the European Research Council (ERC), is led by Prof. Jelena Radjenovic at the Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA). This ERC Consolidator Grant focuses on the development of electrochemical systems for selective separation and recovery of lithium and other critical raw materials (CRMs) from complex secondary sources and waste streams. The key objectives of the project are to develop three-dimensional monolith electrodes that are functionalized for the highly selective separation of CRMs and offer high surface area for their electrochemically switched ion exchange (ESIX) and implement these in innovative flow-through reactor designs.

The final goal is to obtain an energy-efficient extraction of metals from industrial wastewaters and brines, untap currently unexploited secondary sources of CRMs, and provide a simple and environmentally benign methodology for the removal of toxic heavy metals from waste streams.

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