# Columbia University extracts lithium from synthetic brine with thermo-responsive solvent

- Published: 2026-11-06 09:39 UTC
- Section: Machines & Making › Materials science
- Tags: lithium extraction, Columbia University, Salton Sea brine, temperature responsive solvent, direct lithium extraction, brine mining
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-bc6de3de97adbd7ba4831a34_columbia_university_extracts/

**Engineers demonstrated a laboratory method that extracts lithium using temperature-triggered solvent shifts, bypassing traditional solar ponds.**

![Columbia University extracts lithium from synthetic brine with thermo-responsive solvent](https://sgzwpqqelzmajkcubgkl.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/rt-media/2026/11/ccdea1f1d29a84ae.jpg)
*Bing-lab, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0*

Columbia University engineers have demonstrated a laboratory proof of concept to extract lithium from salty water using a temperature-responsive solvent, Earth.com reported [1]. The researchers, led by associate professor Ngai Yin Yip, tested the liquid chemical system on simulated brine formulated to mirror the geothermal waters of California's Salton Sea [1]. Published in the journal *Joule*, the study shows that lithium can be separated without relying on conventional solar evaporation ponds or hard-rock mining [1].

## Solvent behavior and selectivity

The extraction process relies on a solvent that alters its affinity for water based on temperature [1]. At room temperature, the liquid chemical absorbs both water and lithium directly from the brine [1]. Upon applying modest heat, the solvent switches to repelling water, releasing a purified stream containing the extracted lithium while returning to its initial state for subsequent cycles [1]. According to Yip, this desorption step requires only low-grade thermal energy, which can be supplied by industrial waste heat or solar collectors [1].

Natural brines contain high concentrations of chemically similar alkali metals, particularly sodium and potassium, complicating lithium isolation [1]. The solvent maintained a chemical preference for lithium even when lithium concentrations were 1,000 times lower than those of competing ions [1]. In tests with simulated Salton Sea brine, the system demonstrated selectivity ratios of approximately 13 to 1 over sodium and 24 to 1 over potassium [1]. Because the solvent is alkaline, it also caused dissolved magnesium contaminants to precipitate out as solids, resulting in the complete removal of magnesium from the treated mixture [1].

## Lab recovery and scaling limits

Over four consecutive operating cycles using a single batch of solvent, the setup extracted nearly 40% of the lithium dissolved in the simulated brine [1]. The authors noted that approximately 60% of the target metal remained unrecovered, as the early-stage setup has not yet been optimized for maximum yield or processing efficiency [1]. The researchers noted that real-world geothermal brines contain additional impurities that were absent in the synthetic mixtures, meaning the technology's selective performance and capacity must still be verified under industrial plant conditions [1].

## Sources

1. [Earth.com](https://www.earth.com/science/most-lithium-comes-from-desert-ponds-or-hard-rock-mines-and-a-new-lab-method-skips-both)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-bc6de3de97adbd7ba4831a34_columbia_university_extracts/