Reference number : GC-2017-Q2-00068, amendment number : , agreement type : G, recipient legal name : Alessi, Daniel (University of Alberta), recipient country : CA, recipient province : nan, recipient city : Alberta, recipient postal code : nan, program name english : Engage Grants for Universities, program name french : Subventions d'engagement partenarial pour les universités, program purpose english : Lithium extraction from brine is conventionally achieved by the removal of magnesium, calcium, and barium,_x000D_
which have similar chemical behaviors to lithium, followed by solar evaporation in a pond to concentrate and_x000D_
precipitate lithium compounds. Although this approach benefits from a relatively low-cost and simple_x000D_
operation, evaporation of large volumes of water in cold regions such as Alberta is neither economically_x000D_
feasible nor environmentally benign. In this project, we will investigate lithium extraction from brine water_x000D_
using unconventional approaches, predicated on the selective scavenging of lithium ions without resorting to_x000D_
solar evaporation ponds. One of the few identified lithium extractants is tributyl phosphate (TBP), which has_x000D_
been used widely in nuclear chemistry to process spent nuclear fuel. In our study, the first objective is to fully_x000D_
characterize the geochemistry of the brines. The second objective is to extract lithium directly from the brine by_x000D_
TBP using two approaches: (1) utilizing TBP as a solvent, followed by recycling TBP by stripping the lithium_x000D_
from it, and (2) hybridizing TBP with organic particles and employing them in a sorption column to selectively_x000D_
sequester lithium from the brine. The sorbent can be regenerated in a concentrated acid to efficiently desorb the_x000D_
lithium ions. Although there is ample literature surrounding TBP as extractant in nuclear waste treatment, there_x000D_
are few studies dedicated to TBP as lithium scavenger, in most of which TBP is diluted in an organic solvent_x000D_
and used as a solvent extractant. The results from our work could not only equip our industry partner with a_x000D_
new technique to address lithium extraction from brine but also open a new window into the research on the_x000D_
selective sequestering of lithium from brine., program purpose french : Lithium extraction from brine is conventionally achieved by the removal of magnesium, calcium, and barium,_x000D_
which have similar chemical behaviors to lithium, followed by solar evaporation in a pond to concentrate and_x000D_
precipitate lithium compounds. Although this approach benefits from a relatively low-cost and simple_x000D_
operation, evaporation of large volumes of water in cold regions such as Alberta is neither economically_x000D_
feasible nor environmentally benign. In this project, we will investigate lithium extraction from brine water_x000D_
using unconventional approaches, predicated on the selective scavenging of lithium ions without resorting to_x000D_
solar evaporation ponds. One of the few identified lithium extractants is tributyl phosphate (TBP), which has_x000D_
been used widely in nuclear chemistry to process spent nuclear fuel. In our study, the first objective is to fully_x000D_
characterize the geochemistry of the brines. The second objective is to extract lithium directly from the brine by_x000D_
TBP using two approaches: (1) utilizing TBP as a solvent, followed by recycling TBP by stripping the lithium_x000D_
from it, and (2) hybridizing TBP with organic particles and employing them in a sorption column to selectively_x000D_
sequester lithium from the brine. The sorbent can be regenerated in a concentrated acid to efficiently desorb the_x000D_
lithium ions. Although there is ample literature surrounding TBP as extractant in nuclear waste treatment, there_x000D_
are few studies dedicated to TBP as lithium scavenger, in most of which TBP is diluted in an organic solvent_x000D_
and used as a solvent extractant. The results from our work could not only equip our industry partner with a_x000D_
new technique to address lithium extraction from brine but also open a new window into the research on the_x000D_
selective sequestering of lithium from brine., agreement title english : Extraction of lithium from oilfield waste-water brine, agreement title french : Extraction of lithium from oilfield waste-water brine, agreement number : EGP, agreement value : 25000.0, agreement start date : 2017-07-12, agreement end date : nan, description english : nan, description french : nan, expected results english : nan, expected results french : nan, additional information english : Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2018-2019)., additional information french : Subvention ou bourse octroyée s'appliquant à plus d'un exercice financier (2017-2018 à 2018-2019)., owner organization : nserc-crsng, owner organization title : Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada | Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada