PNNL develops seawater extraction for magnesium lithium and nickel
Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) are working on ways to pull crucial minerals like magnesium, lithium, and nickel straight from seawater.
If they crack it, this could cover the world's energy needs for the next 50,000 years.
The catch? These minerals are pretty diluted in seawater, so getting them out has always been tough and pricey, but PNNL's new tech hopes to change that.
Co-flow reactor accelerates magnesium hydroxide extraction
PNNL invented a co-flow reactor that makes extracting magnesium hydroxide much simpler and faster than old-school methods.
When teamed up with desalination plants (like the Carlsbad desalination plant), they could produce over 1 million pounds of magnesium hydroxide every day.
The team is also using leftover desalination brine and even seaweed to grab nickel more efficiently.
Still, scaling up these ideas and making sure they're eco-friendly are big challenges ahead.
If they pull it off, seawater mining might totally transform how we get essential minerals for future energy needs.