Lifeboat Foundation

A new technology can extract lithium from brines at an estimated cost of under 40% that of today’s dominant extraction method, and at just a fourth of lithium’s current market price. The new technology would also be much more reliable and sustainable in its use of water, chemicals, and land than today’s technology, according to a study published in Matter by Stanford University researchers.

Global demand for lithium has surged in recent years, driven by the rise of electric vehicles and renewable energy storage. The dominant source of lithium extraction today relies on evaporating brines in huge ponds under the sun for a year or more, leaving behind a lithium-rich solution, after which heavy use of potentially toxic chemicals finishes the job. Water with a high concentration of salts, including lithium, occurs naturally in some lakes, hot springs, and aquifers, and as a byproduct of oil and natural gas operations and of seawater desalination.

Many scientists are searching for less expensive and more efficient, reliable, and environmentally friendly lithium extraction methods. These are generally direct lithium extraction that bypasses big evaporation ponds. The new study reports on the results of a new method using an approach known as “redox-couple electrodialysis,” or RCE, along with cost estimates.

The multi-layered coating is not only thinner than the silicon cells typically used in solar panels, but rivals their efficiency, too.

The asteroid Apophis, named after the Egyptian god of chaos, was discovered in 2004. Early calculations raised concerns due to its potential collision with Earth, making it a focus for scientists.

Apple is continuing to expand manufacturing in India, and the country will reportedly produce the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max as well as the regular models.

Originally, India only manufactured older iPhones, and then chiefly because it avoided import tax. More recently in its expansion of production in the country, India has taken on manufacturing current models of the iPhone 15.

According to Bloomberg, Apple intends to expand still further. For the first time, India will manufacture the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Scientists say there’s a 50/50 chance that our Milky Way galaxy will collide with the Andromeda galaxy. Would you take those odds?

Researchers are developing an innovative device designed to deliver chemotherapy directly to the surgical site, aiming to reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer recurrence.

Approved a new initial treatment for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer after clinical trials showed patients lived longer without disease progression, compared to the standard treatment currently…

Scientists have created the world’s fastest microscope, which they hope will answer fundamental questions about how electrons behave.

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