{"id":{"repo_id":"mit","oai_identifier":"oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/144867"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/mit/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/144867","repository":{"repo_id":"mit","name":"MIT","base_url":"https://dspace.mit.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Literature Review on Li⁺/Na⁺ and Li⁺/K⁺ Separation Processes Compatible with Multistage MSED/NF Lithium Extraction System","abstract":"Demand for lithium, a major battery component, is increasing in the ongoing clean energy transition. To increase potential sources, lithium extraction from geothermal brines is being researched. Extracting Li⁺ from brine is difficult as there are other ions present as well. Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ are about the same size as Li⁺, but they can be separated out using membrane-based desalination processes like monovalent-selective electrodialysis (MSED) or nanofiltration (NF). The Lienhard Research Group has developed a multistage MSED or NF system to extract lithium from brine. This system still must address the separation of Li⁺ from Na⁺ and K⁺; this separation increases the purity of the final product. This thesis reviews the literature on the Li⁺/Na⁺ and Li⁺/K⁺ separation processes of solvent extraction (SX) and lithium-composite membranes (LCM). SX is used today in other industrial metal separation processes and has potential in this context; LCMs are still early in technological development. SX literature reveals some promising extractants and process parameters that yield high selectivities S(Li⁺/Na⁺) & S(Li⁺/K⁺) and high lithium recovery rates. Next steps would include evaluating the desired S values, recovery rate values, and costs for the designed system and potentially experimenting with SX systems if those specifications are met.","abstract_html":"Demand for lithium, a major battery component, is increasing in the ongoing clean energy transition. To increase potential sources, lithium extraction from geothermal brines is being researched. Extracting Li⁺ from brine is difficult as there are other ions present as well. Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ are about the same size as Li⁺, but they can be separated out using membrane-based desalination processes like monovalent-selective electrodialysis (MSED) or nanofiltration (NF). The Lienhard Research Group has developed a multistage MSED or NF system to extract lithium from brine. This system still must address the separation of Li⁺ from Na⁺ and K⁺; this separation increases the purity of the final product. This thesis reviews the literature on the Li⁺/Na⁺ and Li⁺/K⁺ separation processes of solvent extraction (SX) and lithium-composite membranes (LCM). SX is used today in other industrial metal separation processes and has potential in this context; LCMs are still early in technological development. SX literature reveals some promising extractants and process parameters that yield high selectivities S(Li⁺/Na⁺) & S(Li⁺/K⁺) and high lithium recovery rates. Next steps would include evaluating the desired S values, recovery rate values, and costs for the designed system and potentially experimenting with SX systems if those specifications are met.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Vemulapalli, Meghana"],"institution":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology","degree_name":"Bachelor","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Lienhard, John"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2022,"date_issued":"2022-05","date_published":"2022-05","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:21:19Z","subjects":[],"languages":[],"rights":["In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted","Copyright retained by author(s)"],"rights_urls":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/144867","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Lienhard, John"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Vemulapalli, Meghana"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2022-08-29T16:17:19Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2022-08-29T16:17:19Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2022-05"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Bachelor","Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted","Copyright retained by author(s)"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/144867"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Demand for lithium, a major battery component, is increasing in the ongoing clean energy transition. To increase potential sources, lithium extraction from geothermal brines is being researched. Extracting Li⁺ from brine is difficult as there are other ions present as well. Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ are about the same size as Li⁺, but they can be separated out using membrane-based desalination processes like monovalent-selective electrodialysis (MSED) or nanofiltration (NF). The Lienhard Research Group has developed a multistage MSED or NF system to extract lithium from brine. This system still must address the separation of Li⁺ from Na⁺ and K⁺; this separation increases the purity of the final product. This thesis reviews the literature on the Li⁺/Na⁺ and Li⁺/K⁺ separation processes of solvent extraction (SX) and lithium-composite membranes (LCM). SX is used today in other industrial metal separation processes and has potential in this context; LCMs are still early in technological development. SX literature reveals some promising extractants and process parameters that yield high selectivities S(Li⁺/Na⁺) & S(Li⁺/K⁺) and high lithium recovery rates. Next steps would include evaluating the desired S values, recovery rate values, and costs for the designed system and potentially experimenting with SX systems if those specifications are met."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["S.B."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Literature Review on Li⁺/Na⁺ and Li⁺/K⁺ Separation Processes Compatible with Multistage MSED/NF Lithium Extraction System"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Lienhard, John"],"dc:contributor.department":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering"],"dc:creator":["Vemulapalli, Meghana"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2022-08-29T16:17:19Z"],"dc:date.available":["2022-08-29T16:17:19Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2022-05"],"dc:description.abstract":["Demand for lithium, a major battery component, is increasing in the ongoing clean energy transition. To increase potential sources, lithium extraction from geothermal brines is being researched. Extracting Li⁺ from brine is difficult as there are other ions present as well. Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ are about the same size as Li⁺, but they can be separated out using membrane-based desalination processes like monovalent-selective electrodialysis (MSED) or nanofiltration (NF). The Lienhard Research Group has developed a multistage MSED or NF system to extract lithium from brine. This system still must address the separation of Li⁺ from Na⁺ and K⁺; this separation increases the purity of the final product. This thesis reviews the literature on the Li⁺/Na⁺ and Li⁺/K⁺ separation processes of solvent extraction (SX) and lithium-composite membranes (LCM). SX is used today in other industrial metal separation processes and has potential in this context; LCMs are still early in technological development. SX literature reveals some promising extractants and process parameters that yield high selectivities S(Li⁺/Na⁺) & S(Li⁺/K⁺) and high lithium recovery rates. Next steps would include evaluating the desired S values, recovery rate values, and costs for the designed system and potentially experimenting with SX systems if those specifications are met."],"dc:description.degree":["S.B."],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/144867"],"dc:publisher":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted","Copyright retained by author(s)"],"dc:rights.uri":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/"],"dc:title":["Literature Review on Li⁺/Na⁺ and Li⁺/K⁺ Separation Processes Compatible with Multistage MSED/NF Lithium Extraction System"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Bachelor","Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:21:19Z"}