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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Membr. Sci. Technol.
Sec. Membrane Applications - Liquid
Volume 3 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/frmst.2024.1498810

Membrane characterization for electrochemical LiOH production from Li2SO4 with simultaneous H2SO4 valorization

Provisionally accepted
Guillaume Henderson Guillaume Henderson 1,2*Lara Martin Diaz Lara Martin Diaz 1,2Wouter Schutyser Wouter Schutyser 3Luiza Bonin Luiza Bonin 1,2
  • 1 Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
  • 2 Centre for Advanced Process Technology for Urban Resource Recovery (CAPTURE), Ghent, East Flanders, Belgium
  • 3 Umicore (Belgium), Brussels, Belgium

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This work characterized different cation- and anion-exchange membranes to improve the efficiency for the electrochemical conversion of Li2SO4 into LiOH and simultaneously recover H2SO4 as a byproduct, an essential process for sustainable alternatives for lithium−ion battery recycling. The membrane’s ability to block H+ and OH- migration over the membrane to the feed stream of the electrolyzer was investigated. Simultaneously, the membrane resistance was measured to assess its impact on the cell voltage and overall energy consumption. The best CEM, Sx-2301-Wn, enabled to concentrate LiOH up to 1.7M with a current efficiency (CE) of 77.3%, while Fumasep FAB-130-PK, the best AEM, was able to concentrate H2SO4 up to 0.6M with a CE of 74.6%. The recirculation of LiOH into the middle compartment to maintain a constant pH was also investigated and showed to improve both Li+ (4.2-8%) and SO42- (5.1%) migration, but pH higher than 3 led to an increased membrane resistance. The results of this work contributed to the selection of a suited membrane and ideal operational conditions for producing LiOH and H2SO4 through a three-compartment membrane electrolysis cell.

    Keywords: Lithium hydroxide, Sulfuric acid, Membrane electrolysis, Membrane resistance, High concentration

    Received: 19 Sep 2024; Accepted: 09 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Henderson, Martin Diaz, Schutyser and Bonin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Guillaume Henderson, Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.