Kobe Researchers Develop Lithium Recovery Membrane

Kobe University researchers developed a polymer membrane with Angstrom-scale water channels that separates lithium from magnesium-rich brines. The system reduced the magnesium-to-lithium ratio from 40 to 0.08 after three stages, producing 99.5% pure lithium carbonate. Published in Science Advances in 2026, the study also showed 99.4% sodium chloride recovery from simulated seawater after 400 hours of operation.