Breakthrough in Key Lithium Extraction Technology from Qinghai Salt Lakes Enables Efficient Separation of Lithium, Sodium, and Potassium

Recently, a research team led by Li Lijuan at the Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has achieved a significant breakthrough in lithium extraction from salt lakes by successfully overcoming the technical challenge of efficiently separating lithium, sodium, and potassium ions from lithium precipitation mother liquor. This technology is currently the world's only solution that simultaneously meets four critical criteria: economic feasibility, high recovery efficiency, clean production, and high-quality end products, placing it at the forefront of global standards. Against the backdrop of surging global demand for lithium resources driven by the electric vehicle and energy storage industries, this breakthrough provides crucial support for the efficient, full-process recovery and high-value utilization of lithium resources from China's salt lakes, holding great promise for advancing the high-quality development of the salt-lake lithium industry.