China He has found the largest treasure on the planet under the sea: 230 billion tonnes of white gold. The popularity has achieved such that it is already called “white gold” or “gold of the future”.
This preference for the so -false white gold has become countries with reserves of these resources of world extenders of an increasingly valuable material. At the technical level, this treasure takes third place in the periodic system, after hydrogen and helium. Moreover, it is first in the Alkalic metals category in the list, prior to the sodium (NA), potassium (K), Rubidio (RB), CESIO (CS) and Francio (FR).
The most remarkable aspect is the ability to store energy, which makes the accumulation of high load densities in a limited space possible. Due to the existence of lithium present in minerals such as Espodumena and Lepidotita, this metal was discovered in 1817 by the Swedish chemist Johann August Arfvedon. However, it was only 110 years later that it started to synthesize on an industrial scale.
China finds 230 billion tons at sea, the most valuable treasure on the planet
To meet the global demand without increasing mining, China He has focused on one of the most common agents in the world: the saltwater of the sea. The demand for lithium increases almost exponentially as the industry continues to climb the production of electric cars and batteries for the storage of renewable energy.
The latest measures that China has taken in salares from South America They have consolidated their domain in this supply chain. However, conventional lithium sources, such as hard rock lovers, will continue to fall in the coming years.
To guarantee a sustainable lithium supply, a team of engineers of the University of Nankín, in ChinaHas developed a device that can benefit from sunlight to remove and store lithium from the brine. In general, lithium promotion systems are expensive and harmful to the environment.
For this reason, the new method made by engineers is one before and after in the technological sector. An advance they baptized with the name of Stles (Extraction and storage of lithium fed by solar transport).
It has the ability to extract lithium ions from Salmueras with a low concentration of the material, such as seawater, with only the energy of the sun.
China creates a new system to get the desired white gold
The device prepared by China Flot on the surface of salt water and take advantage of light to produce pressure on the capillaries of a solar paint. Inside there is a membrane made of aluminum oxide with embedded nanoparticles that filters the lithium of other agents.
Use the sun’s energy as a pressure engine and perform a boost on the lithium ions through the membrane, which filters it on a nanometric scale. At the same time, It separates them from other ions such as sodium, magnesium and calcium. The lithium ions are then stored in a special layer in the device, prepared for collection.
The Oceans house within 230 billion tons of lithium, a more than enough figure to meet world demand. However, its low concentration and the coincidence of other ions complicate its extraction. This system can be installed in areas such as Dead Sea, the Caspian Sea And other water masses with important brine concentrations.
Potential of the new lithium extraction system in China
The group of makers of this system published the details in the magazine ScienceTogether with the California University in Berkeley. When working passively and only need solar energy, this lithium attraction system becomes very economic and can make lithium extraction from seawater more ecological and more economically more viable.
From now on, researchers are already considering continuing to climb with this technology and carry out long -term tests to determine to what extent their performance and sustainability can achieve. They also analyze possible membrane improvements and storage method to increase extraction efficiency.
The biggest treasure of the planet is white gold and though China He found it under the sea, others found it in a supercolcano.