{"id":47063,"date":"2026-08-25T14:17:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T14:17:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leibniz-inm.de\/elirec\/"},"modified":"2026-09-04T09:43:25","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T09:43:25","slug":"elirec","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.leibniz-inm.de\/en\/elirec\/","title":{"rendered":"eLiRec"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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WITH eLiRec,<\/span>
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\nTHE FUTURE\n<\/h2>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

REGIOSTARS 2026 FINALIST \u00b7 A GREEN EUROPE<\/span><\/p>\n

Lithium is one of the key raw materials for our electric future. eLiRec is developing a novel electrochemical approach to selectively recover lithium from spent batteries and return it to the materials cycle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tVote now<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t<\/article>\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t<\/section><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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PROJECT OVERVIEW<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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93,5 %<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lithium purity<\/strong>
in the LE-RFB reference system*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2,5 Wh<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

electrical energy consumption<\/strong>
per gram of lithium**<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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0,6 V<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

operating voltage<\/strong>
for continuous Li extraction*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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500.000:1<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Li\/Mg selectivity<\/strong>
after 5 h of enrichment*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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* Performance values of the underlying LE-RFB reference system (lithium-extraction redox flow battery); demonstrated with simulated seawater (Wang et al., ACS Energy Lett. 2022).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE CHALLENGE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Batteries are part of the energy transition.
Their lithium should stay in the loop.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Lithium-ion batteries enable electric mobility and the storage of renewable energy. As their use grows, however, so does the demand for lithium – and the number of spent batteries. Conventional recycling can require high temperatures, aggressive chemicals, and complex separation processes. eLiRec therefore relies on selective electrochemical separation: using tailor-made materials, lithium is selectively recovered from complex solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The energy transition requires high-performance energy storage. Batteries not only enable electric mobility; they also help store electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar so it can be used flexibly over time and better balance supply and demand in the energy system. As electric vehicles and stationary storage expand worldwide, the demand
for battery raw materials, particularly lithium, continues to rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, the number of batteries reaching the end of their useful life is growing. To make the energy transition sustainable in the long term, valuable raw materials must therefore be kept in circulation as efficiently as possible. Conventional recycling processes can require high temperatures, aggressive chemicals, and complex multi-step separation processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

eLiRec therefore takes an alternative approach: the selective electrochemical recovery of lithium from complex recycling solutions. Using tailor-made electrode materials, lithium is selectively separated from accompanying and interfering ions and returned to the materials cycle as a valuable resource.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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VALUABLE LITHIUM<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

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Lithium is a key raw material for batteries.
Recycling keeps existing lithium incirculation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


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COMPLEX SEPARATION<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

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After leaching, many ions are present together.
Selectively separating lithium from this mixture is technically challenging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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RESOURCE-INTENSIVE PROCESSES<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

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High temperatures and multi-step chemical separation consume energy and generate additional process streams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vote Now<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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THE TECHNOLOGY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From desalination to selective lithium recovery.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The two animations show the key development step: conventional capacitive deionization (CDI) removes dissolved ions broadly and largely non-selectively. eLiRec, by contrast, applies a battery principle to separation and uses lithium-selective battery electrodes. This turns general desalination into targeted electrochemical lithium recovery – at low voltages and with the potential to reduce energy- and chemical-intensive downstream separation steps.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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