| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2022 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
REWAS 2022: Recovering the Unrecoverable
|
| Presentation Title |
Characterisation of Hyperaccumulators for Lithium Recovery from Ancient Mine Soils |
| Author(s) |
Lorna Anguilano, Uchechukwu Onwukwe, Danny Aryani, Jesus Ojeda Ledo, Guido Lingua, Valentina Gianotti, Alessandra Devoto |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Lorna Anguilano |
| Abstract Scope |
The importance of lithium in modern industry is proven by a staggering triplication of the market, valued at $30b in 2017 and expected to reach $100b by 2025. A high volume is used as nanoparticles, particularly for batteries and electronics applications. Presently, lithium nanoparticles are manufactured using induction thermal plasma and other high energy technologies. Furthermore, lithium is mined using high water volumes in areas such as South America where water scarcity is a fundamental issue. We propose a switch in mining and manufacturing methods through the use of phytomining in ancient mine locations to foster economic sustainability in areas affected by unemployment while maintaining the historic splendour of these sites. Our experiments have proven that in such areas, the amount of lithium (~1000ppm) present in the sludges derived from mine adits can be recovered by autochthonous grasses (~20% per harvest) and transformed into re-usable nanoparticles using low-energy bio-synthesis. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Recycling and Secondary Recovery, Sustainability, Characterization |