Instant Interlayer Restoration Strategy for Lithium Adsorption Engineering Enhancement in Sulfate-type Brines

It was confirmed that the detrimental effect of SO42– on Li+ desorption and readsorption intensified with the increase of the SO42–/Cl– ratio, resulting in application limitations of aluminum-based adsorbent (Li/Al-LDHs) in sulfate-type brines. Based on the interlayer anion exchangeability of Li/Al-LDHs, a one-step interlayer restoration strategy was designed with the assistance of molecular dynamics to rapidly substitute the intercalated SO42– with preferentially desorbed Cl–, aiming to fundamentally address the damage to the cycling performance. The strategy effectiveness was verified by the restored adsorption and desorption capacities in various sulfate-type brines. Furthermore, enhanced lithium extraction processes for sulfate-type brines were established and showed universal applicability for complex brines with different compositions during fixed-bed cycles. By regulating the implementation frequency, the Li+ extraction efficiency was improved, in which the extraction amount per unit time could increase by more than 100% compared with the conventional process.