Application of a Flow-Type Electrochemical Lithium Recovery System with λ-MnO2/LiMn2O4: Experiment and Simulation

Due to the rapid growth of the global electric vehicle and electronics markets, lithium has become an indispensable resource for our lifestyle, and numerous methods for securing lithium are being actively attempted. For fast and environment-friendly lithium extraction, the electrochemical lithium recovery (ELR) system was studied in recent years. However, there are a limited number of studies regarding the system behavior and most of them are focused on a batch operation, which is far from practical usage. In this study, a flow-type rocking-chair ELR system based on the λ-MnO 2 /LiMn 2 O 4 electrode pair is proposed for efficient recovery of lithium ions from influents. A lab-scale electrochemical experiment and a two-dimensional numerical simulation are performed to comprehensively analyze the system behavior. It is confirmed that lithium can be simultaneously captured and released at e…