New Low-Temperature Method for Lithium Extraction from Hard Rock Developed by MIT Researchers

Researchers at MIT have developed a novel low-temperature process for extracting battery-grade lithium from spodumene, the most common lithium-bearing mineral. This closed-loop method offers a cleaner and potentially more cost-effective alternative to current energy-intensive techniques, which typically involve baking rock at over 1,000°C. The innovation could enable the United States to tap into its abundant hard rock lithium sources and reduce reliance on foreign refinement.