{"id":9170,"date":"2025-11-12T16:03:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T14:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hch2.de\/?post_type=aktuelles&p=9170"},"modified":"2026-02-10T16:24:35","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T14:24:35","slug":"a-solution-to-the-lithium-bottleneck","status":"publish","type":"aktuelles","link":"https:\/\/hch2.de\/en\/news\/a-solution-to-the-lithium-bottleneck\/","title":{"rendered":"A Solution to the Lithium Bottleneck"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Lithium is a key driver of the battery boom \u2013 and thus of the energy transition \u2013 but global demand is growing faster than production.<\/strong> By 2030, demand is expected to double, and by 2040, to increase fivefold<\/strong><\/a>. Europe in particular, which is currently dependent on imports, faces a looming shortage. Three scientists from Forschungszentrum J\u00fclich aim to change that. Their method is designed to extract lithium in a climate- and environmentally friendly way from previously untapped sources \u2013 including those in Germany. Their idea, called 7EX Technologies, is intended to evolve into a spin-off company. <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lithium is a cornerstone of the energy transition \u2013 indispensable for batteries in electric vehicles, storage systems, and smartphones. The lightweight metal enables long-lasting energy storage with high capacity. However, its deposits are unevenly distributed. Around 90 per cent of global production in 2023 came from Australia, Chile and China<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extraction is also often problematic. In Australia, lithium is mined in energy-intensive open-pit operations; in Chile, it is extracted from salt lakes through evaporation \u2013 a process that consumes vast amounts of water and has significant ecological consequences, particularly in the Atacama Desert. China employs both methods. This leaves Europe in a dilemma: it depends on imports and competes with other regions for a limited supply. \u201cGlobally, around 240,000 tonnes of lithium were produced in 2024<\/a>,\u201d says Marten Huck from the Institute for a Sustainable Hydrogen Economy (INW) at J\u00fclich<\/a>. \u201cBy 2030, demand is expected to reach around 530,000 tonnes<\/a>,\u201d adds his colleague Andreas Kuhlmann. The growing demand amid stagnating production is leading to a shortage \u2013 the so-called lithium supply gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Upper Rhine Graben as a Lithium Source<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is where 7EX Technologies comes in. The planned start-up from Forschungszentrum J\u00fclich is developing a novel process for extracting lithium from aqueous sources such as geothermal and industrial process water. In the Upper Rhine Graben between Basel and Frankfurt, for example, there are several geothermal sources. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The technology\u2019s developers \u2013 Andreas Kuhlmann, Marten Huck, and Prof. Hans-Georg Steinr\u00fcck from the INW \u2013 have created an electrochemical process that selectively filters out lithium ions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve designed a container into which the lithium-bearing water flows in, and lithium carbonate comes out,\u201d explains Kuhlmann in simplified terms. Lithium ions accumulate on specially developed electrodes, while other, more common ions hardly react. The concentrated lithium is then separated as lithium carbonate \u2013 the compound that battery cell manufacturers can directly process further. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Andreas Kuhlmann (left) and Marten Huck test a reactor for lithium extraction on a laboratory scale. Photo: Forschungszentrum J\u00fclich\/Jansen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Resource-Efficient and CO\u2082-Neutral<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur process runs on green electricity and is therefore CO\u2082-neutral. We use less water, less energy, and less material,\u201d adds Steinr\u00fcck. The lithium concentration in geothermal water is around 500 times higher than in seawater, the researchers emphasise.
\u201cTo produce one tonne of lithium carbonate, we need about an Olympic-sized swimming pool full of geothermal water,\u201d explains Huck. Unlike conventional lithium extraction, the water is not consumed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For their concept, the J\u00fclich team received the AC\u00b2 Start-up Award of the Aachen region<\/a>. The jury praised both the scientific excellence and the economic potential of the project. Shortly afterwards came further success at the JUICE Innovation Contest of Forschungszentrum J\u00fclich<\/a>, which recognises ideas with strong application potential. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

7EX Technologies is pursuing a decentralised approach: instead of large industrial plants, compact, self-sufficient modules are to extract lithium directly at geothermal or industrial sites \u2013 low in emissions, efficient, and independent of global supply chains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patent applications are already under way, and a pilot plant is planned within the next three to four years. The name refers to the chemical basis: \u201c7\u201d stands for lithium\u2019s molar mass, and \u201cEX\u201d for extraction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The copyright for the images used on this website is held by Forschungszentrum J\u00fclich, aligator kommunikation GmbH and stock.adobe.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":9169,"template":"","categories":[253,252,254],"tags":[278,282],"class_list":["post-9170","aktuelles","type-aktuelles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-forschung-en","category-general-en","category-wasserstoff-en","tag-general","tag-general-en"],"yoast_head":"\nA Solution to the Lithium Bottleneck - HCH2<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hch2.de\/en\/news\/a-solution-to-the-lithium-bottleneck\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Solution to the Lithium Bottleneck - HCH2\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Lithium is a key driver of the battery boom \u2013 and thus of the energy transition \u2013 but global demand is growing faster than production. 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