How a new extraction process could unlock the world’s lithium
How a new extraction process could unlock the world’s lithium
一种新的提取工艺如何释放全球锂资源
Researchers say they’ve found a new way to extract lithium, a crucial metal used in the lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles and energy storage arrays. This new technique could be more environmentally friendly and cheaper than existing ones. 研究人员表示，他们发现了一种提取锂的新方法。锂是制造电动汽车和储能阵列所用的锂离子电池的关键金属。这项新技术可能比现有工艺更环保、成本更低。
The research was published today in Science, and a startup called Rock Zero is working to commercialize the process. “At scale, we believe this will be the lowest-cost way of sourcing lithium in the world,” says Yet-Ming Chiang, one of the study authors, who is an MIT professor and a serial entrepreneur behind climate tech companies including Form Energy and Addis Energy. 这项研究今日发表在《科学》杂志上，一家名为 Rock Zero 的初创公司正致力于将该工艺商业化。该研究的作者之一、麻省理工学院教授兼气候科技公司（如 Form Energy 和 Addis Energy）连续创业者蒋业明（Yet-Ming Chiang）表示：“我们相信，在大规模应用下，这将成为全球成本最低的锂资源获取方式。”
The most economical way to get lithium currently is to extract it from brine, salty water that’s pulled the metal out of rock over the course of millennia. But this technique is geographically limited and currently requires vast tracts of land for massive evaporation pools. The more common tactic is hard-rock mining, where large bodies of ore are blasted apart, cooked at high temperatures, and processed using dangerous chemicals. 目前获取锂最经济的方法是从卤水中提取，即经过数千年时间从岩石中溶解出金属的咸水。但这种技术受地理位置限制，且目前需要大片土地来建设巨大的蒸发池。更常见的策略是硬岩开采，即将大型矿体炸开，在高温下烘烤，并使用危险化学品进行处理。
The researchers’ new method uses a weak acid to dissolve typically nonreactive silicate minerals. That frees not only the lithium but also other useful materials, including alumina and silica. 研究人员的新方法使用弱酸来溶解通常不具反应性的硅酸盐矿物。这不仅能释放出锂，还能释放出其他有用的材料，包括氧化铝和二氧化硅。
The origin story for this research, and the resulting company, came from another startup founded by Chiang, Sublime Systems, which makes cement using electrochemistry. The team was trying to find a source of highly reactive silica in order to form stronger cement. One way to make reactive materials, which can bond easily with other materials, is to take a nonreactive material, dissolve it, and then allow it to become solid in a more reactive form. 这项研究及其衍生公司的起源，源于蒋业明创立的另一家初创公司 Sublime Systems，该公司利用电化学技术制造水泥。当时团队正试图寻找一种高活性二氧化硅来源，以制造更坚固的水泥。制造易于与其他材料结合的活性材料的一种方法是：取一种非活性材料，将其溶解，然后使其以更具活性的形式固化。
It’s not impossible to dissolve silicates, but the best-known way is to use hydrofluoric acid, an extremely dangerous chemical. Other fluorine-containing chemicals are candidates too, but some will produce hydrofluoric acid as a side product during reactions. 溶解硅酸盐并非不可能，但最广为人知的方法是使用氢氟酸，这是一种极其危险的化学品。其他含氟化学品也是候选材料，但有些在反应过程中会产生氢氟酸作为副产物。
Chiang drew inspiration from a previous home renovation project involving glass, which is made of silica. “I was remodeling a shower in Framingham, Massachusetts, about 25 years ago,” he says. “So when we started this project, I remembered that glass etching cream and thought, ‘What’s in that?’” 蒋业明从之前的一次涉及玻璃（由二氧化硅制成）的家庭装修项目中获得了灵感。“大约 25 年前，我在马萨诸塞州弗雷明汉翻新淋浴间，”他说，“所以当我们开始这个项目时，我想起了玻璃蚀刻膏，心想：‘那里面是什么成分？’”
The glass etching cream he remembered, which can be found on shelves at any craft or home improvement store, uses ammonium fluoride, a weak acid. And the MIT researchers discovered that in the right conditions, it can effectively dissolve silicate minerals without producing hydrofluoric acid in the process. 他记忆中的玻璃蚀刻膏在任何工艺品店或家居装修店的货架上都能找到，其成分是弱酸——氟化铵。麻省理工学院的研究人员发现，在适当的条件下，它可以在不产生氢氟酸的情况下有效溶解硅酸盐矿物。
This chemistry could be useful for any silicate minerals—and there are a lot of them. But spodumene, the mineral that’s often mined for lithium, became a prime first target. (Chiang says a suggestion from Doug Wicks, one of the company’s advisors and a former ARPA-E official, pointed the team in spodumene’s direction.) 这种化学方法适用于任何硅酸盐矿物，而这类矿物储量巨大。但锂辉石（一种常用于开采锂的矿物）成为了首要目标。（蒋业明表示，公司顾问之一、前 ARPA-E 官员 Doug Wicks 的建议为团队指明了锂辉石的方向。）
From left to right: spodumene, silica, alumina and lithium salts. ROCK ZERO 从左至右：锂辉石、二氧化硅、氧化铝和锂盐。图片来源：ROCK ZERO
Today, a key step in processing spodumene ore is to roast it in a kiln at super-high temperatures. This causes a phase transformation, essentially puffing up the material and making the lithium more accessible. By avoiding the need to reach these temperatures, you could save on energy costs and potentially reduce carbon emissions as well, says Camden Hunt, one of the authors of the study and the CEO and cofounder of Rock Zero. 目前，加工锂辉石矿的一个关键步骤是在窑炉中进行超高温烘烤。这会引起相变，本质上是使材料膨胀，从而使锂更容易被提取。该研究的作者之一、Rock Zero 的首席执行官兼联合创始人 Camden Hunt 表示，通过避免达到这些高温，可以节省能源成本，并可能减少碳排放。
Avoiding the kiln could also unlock the ability to use some ores that can’t be roasted properly, Hunt adds. Ore that contains too much iron won’t go through the phase change correctly, instead melting and turning into a glassy material. Hunt 补充说，省去窑炉环节还可以利用一些无法通过烘烤进行有效处理的矿石。含铁量过高的矿石无法正确进行相变，反而会熔化并变成玻璃状物质。
The new process relies on simple stirred plastic tanks and takes place at temperatures up to about 95 °C (200 °F). The ammonium fluoride dissolves the silicates, which in earlier experiments allowed nearly all of the lithium inside the spodumene ore to be extracted within a couple of days. The researchers have since cut this time to under 12 hours, says Benjamin Mowbray, first author of the study and the CTO and cofounder of Rock Zero. 新工艺依赖于简单的搅拌塑料罐，反应温度最高约为 95°C (200°F)。氟化铵溶解硅酸盐，在早期实验中，这使得锂辉石矿中几乎所有的锂都能在几天内被提取出来。该研究的第一作者、Rock Zero 的首席技术官兼联合创始人 Benjamin Mowbray 表示，研究人员目前已将这一时间缩短至 12 小时以内。
The products (after some additional steps to clean them up) are lithium carbonate, which can be used to make batteries; alumina, which can go into a smelter to make aluminum; and cementitious silica, which can be added into concrete. And the acid can be reused in the same loop. Chiang calls this “nose-to-tail” mining—using every part of the ore provided, like eating every part of a butchered animal. 这些产品（经过一些额外的提纯步骤后）包括：可用于制造电池的碳酸锂；可送入冶炼厂制造铝的氧化铝；以及可添加到混凝土中的胶凝二氧化硅。此外，酸可以在同一个循环中重复使用。蒋业明称之为“从头到尾”的开采——利用矿石的每一个部分，就像吃掉屠宰动物的每一个部位一样。
The researchers are currently working to scale and optimize the process. The tanks in the lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts can handle three kilograms of spodumene concentrate in each batch. They have also estimated the cost of this process once fully scaled up. Assuming that the ammonium fluoride can be recycled at a high level, they should be able to extract lithium for less than $6,000 per metric ton. (They’ve identified a potential cheap industrial source of the acid as well, as an alternative to recycling it.) 研究人员目前正致力于扩大规模并优化该工艺。位于马萨诸塞州剑桥市实验室的反应罐每批次可处理三公斤锂辉石精矿。他们还估算了该工艺完全规模化后的成本。假设氟化铵能够实现高水平回收，他们提取锂的成本应能低于每公吨 6,000 美元。（他们还确定了一种潜在的廉价工业酸来源，作为回收利用的替代方案。）
The total cost is projected to be lower than that of other processes used to extract lithium from hard-rock ore today, and it could be competitive with brine. The team has designed a pilot plant and is looking for space to build it. The plan is to have construction done by the end of 2026 and start operating the facility in 2027. Talks are underway with potential partners in the mining industry. 预计总成本将低于目前从硬岩矿中提取锂的其他工艺，并可能与卤水提取法竞争。团队已经设计了一个试点工厂，并正在寻找建设场地。计划在 2026 年底前完成建设，并于 2027 年开始运营。目前正在与采矿业的潜在合作伙伴进行洽谈。
One difficulty for new players in lithium extraction is the volatility of the market: Prices have seen huge swings in recent years, from a peak in 2022 to lows in late 2024 and a slow climb starting in early 2026. Rising prices might benefit new players like Rock Zero, but there are many projects that could come online if prices continue to rise, and that could bring the market right back down, says Simon Jowitt, chair of exploration geology at the University of Nevada, Reno. “People are waiting to see what happens with the lithium price,” he says. “It’s a crowded market, and there’s some big…” 锂提取领域新玩家面临的一个困难是市场的波动性：近年来价格经历了剧烈震荡，从 2022 年的峰值跌至 2024 年底的低谷，并从 2026 年初开始缓慢回升。内华达大学里诺分校勘探地质学系主任 Simon Jowitt 表示，价格上涨可能有利于像 Rock Zero 这样的新玩家，但如果价格持续上涨，许多项目可能会投产，这可能会导致市场再次回落。“人们都在观望锂价走势，”他说，“这是一个拥挤的市场，而且还有一些大型……”