When it comes to new energy vehicles, you can think of "lithium batteries".
But where does lithium come from?
But few people know.
In fact, more than 70 percent of the world's lithium is extracted from mineral-rich salt lakes.
Because the technology of extracting lithium has been difficult to break through for a long time, my country has to rely on imports for a long time.
The Wang Lei team from the School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, anchored the country's needs, explored ways of independent innovation, and traveled from Xi'an, Shaanxi to Qinghai Lenghu, Golmud and Chaidan to industrialize the core technology of independent innovation and make lithium The extraction cost has been reduced from more than 30,000 yuan/ton to less than 15,000 yuan/ton, and it is more environmentally friendly, which greatly reduces my country's dependence on imported lithium resources.
Rooted in "No Man's Land" to Challenge Difficulty
In 2021, the new energy vehicle market will grow explosively, and lithium carbonate, the main raw material of automotive lithium batteries, will become a barrier to restrict development.
As early as 2016, in the "National Mineral Resources Planning (2016-2020)" released by my country, lithium was included in the "National Strategic Minerals" catalog.
"The cost of lithium extraction from salt lake brine is relatively low, and industrial-grade lithium carbonate can be directly obtained, which can be converted into deep-processed lithium products after purification." Wang Lei said that to vigorously develop my country's lithium resources, "salt lake lithium extraction" technology is very critical. .
The technical practice site of "Lithium Extraction from Salt Lake" mentioned by Wang Lei is located in Lenghu, Golmud and other places in Qinghai.
However, the lithium content of the lake water in these areas is extremely low and the quality is poor. In the past, few people were willing to invest here, which is the "no man's land" for lithium extraction from salt lakes.
"The lithium ion content in the salt lake here is only 0.06 g/L, which is the lowest in the world, and the endowment is poor, making it extremely difficult to extract." Wang Lei said that despite the poor resource conditions, they still chose to enter this "no man's land" It is not only to believe in excellent independent research and development technology, but more importantly, to collect as much lithium resources as possible for the country.
In September 2017, Wang Lei led the team to build the first pilot station in Lenghu.
In December of the same year, the pilot production line was successfully put into operation, reducing the cost of extracting lithium carbonate by traditional methods by more than half. Its economy and environmental protection have reached the world's advanced level, providing a strong technical support for the development of valuable precious metals in my country.
After several years of development, at present, the production line with an annual output of thousands of tons is exporting precious lithium resources for the country.
Using "membrane separation" skillfully to solve the problem of lithium extraction
Why is Wang Lei so confident and dare to challenge the unpopular salt lake to extract lithium in Qinghai?
The key lies in the solid-phase ion confinement material independently developed by him and his team with membrane separation technology as the core.
"This new material can be made into a thin film, just like a layer of filter screen. During the process of lithium extraction, lithium ions are adsorbed on the filter screen and the remaining impurities are filtered." Wang Lei introduced.
Who would have thought that this core technology was first developed to purify sewage.
In 2016, a series of scientific and technological innovation achievements of Wang Lei's team centered on membrane separation technology were widely used in municipal and industrial water treatment in Ningxia, Gansu and other places, with an output value of more than 300 million yuan.
"To achieve breakthroughs in original innovation." This is Wang Lei's inner insistence.
He graduated from water supply and drainage engineering and is good at reverse thinking - "purifying sewage is to remove mineral pollutants and retain water resources. Then, if you think about it in reverse, can't you extract precious metals from water?" This is the solid phase ion The starting point of the idea of bound materials for lithium extraction.
Since then, with the help of the self-developed solid-phase ion confinement technology, and adhering to the idea of "one lake, one material, one lake and one process", they have developed a "high-efficiency adsorption + desorption + lithium precipitation" distributed green brine. The adsorption-desorption of salt lake brine can obtain a lithium precipitation solution suitable for use in new energy vehicle batteries in one step, and then precipitate lithium to obtain related products.
"This is a truly original innovative technology, which solves the problems of low efficiency, low stability and pollution in the selection and separation of magnesium and lithium in the past. The problem of reaching the battery level at one time." Wang Lei said.
Open up the innovation chain and industrial chain to solve the integration dilemma
Winter in Qinghai is a severe cold of minus 20 degrees Celsius.
Cui Zheng, a team member and head of the production project in the Chaidan area, recalled: "In the beginning, the five of them lived in one room, and the conditions were very difficult. They only returned in the early morning and returned to the workshop in the cold at three or four o'clock."
The difficult environment cannot stop the pace of innovation.
In just a few winters and summers, Wang Lei's team has achieved a leap from original innovation to industrialized development. The key is to innovatively propose a "research institute + limited company + seed fund" innovation chain and industry chain deep integration model.
In Wang Lei's view, in the past, theoretical verification, pilot testing, capital, and marketization were relatively independent, requiring back-and-forth coordination and high uncertainty. No matter which link has a problem, it may lead to the failure of marketization. This is also the innovation chain to the industrial chain The most difficult crux of transformation.
After repeated exploration and practice, they successfully got through these links.
In 2017, supported by the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Wang Lei, relying on the advantageous disciplines of Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, established the Shaanxi Membrane Separation Technology Research Institute to conduct basic research and technology development around membrane separation science and technology, and provide a common technology platform for industrialization.
Relying on the platform, Wang Lei has formed an innovative enterprise and seed fund controlled by the team, focusing on the research and development of high-performance ultrafiltration, microfiltration, nanofiltration, forward osmosis and other membrane separation products and equipment, forming a "basic research-application development-results transformation" - Enterprise Incubation - Capital Operation", a new model for the transformation of the whole industry chain.
"This model pushes the basic research platform, scientific research base and achievement transformation into a fast track, and crosses the 'valley of death' from basic research to technological innovation." More than ten high-tech enterprises have been incubated in the three major fields of materials and medical devices, more than 80 patents have been applied, and more than 40 patents have been authorized, of which more than 30 have been transformed into production, and the patents have been transformed into nearly 100 million yuan.
The innovation chain drives the industrial chain, and the industrial chain feeds back the innovation chain.
More talents are growing rapidly, and the hatched enterprises are not only production bases, but also practice bases, as well as in-depth research and development bases.
In this chain, the team has cultivated nearly 200 master and doctoral innovative talents, forming a complete talent system for basic research, technology development, engineering application, and management.
They have published more than 70 high-level papers in international and domestic journals such as "Nature Communications", and 7 books including "Structural Parameters of Water Treatment Membrane Pollution and Evaluation Methods of Microscopic Action".
"In the future, we will continue to adhere to the frontier of science and technology in the world, the main battlefield of the economy, the major needs of the country, and the life and health of the people, and continue to advance in the breadth and depth of science and technology. Focusing on membrane separation technology, we will accelerate the transformation of scientific research results, and focus on the key core. Technology serves the economy and society." Wang Lei said.
(Reporter Zhang Zhehao Li Jie correspondent Zhan Pengchao)