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Lithium Seawater Electrochemical Extraction Technology
Lead Companies
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Lead Researcher (s)
- Dongping Lu
Lithium (Li) is one of the critical industrial materials and an indispensable component in manufacturing Li-ion/Li batteries. However, Li resource is very limited and geographically uneven in earth’s crust and its mining is costly and not sustainable. Hence, cost-effective Li recovery (from brines, seawater or used cells) is desired but suffered from the low efficiency, poor ion-selectivity, and high processing cost. Here, we report a novel Li extraction and utilization technology to recover Li from low-Li solutions into a form of Li resource, which can be directly used for battery materials production. By using both Li-ion selective Li1.5Al0.5Ge1.5(PO4)3 (LAGP) membrane and low-cost electrolytic manganese dioxide (EMD) host material, the costly steps of Li separation and refining were eliminated. Li-ion cathodes (e.g., spinel LiMn2O4 and layered LiNixMnyCozO2) synthesized through this approach have high phase purities and show significant economic superiorities (e.g., $12.8/kg for LiMn2O4) over other Li extraction methods and even commercial cathodes ($15/kg for LiMn2O4). This contribution provides a potential technical approach to overcome the challenges of both Li supply and battery cost for future electrification and decarbonization of socioeconomic system.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Technology
Research Sub-Category
Water Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
- Marine Energy
Long-Term Laboratory-wide Facilities & Infrastructure Upgrades Strategy for Marine Energy
Lead Companies
Sandia National Laboratories
Lead Researcher (s)
- Budi Gunawan
Testing facilities and capabilities operated and maintained by national laboratories are pivotal in supporting mission needs of the Marine Energy (ME) program of the WPTO and play an important role in the continued advancement of ME technologies. National lab testing facilitates and capabilities must continue to evolve to meet changing programmatic and technical needs of the ME sector. To meet these present and future testing needs, the ME core national labs, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), along with support from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), will collaboratively and collectively develop a long term, up to 10 years, national laboratory focused facilities and infrastructure investment strategy. This project will develop a detailed understanding of (1) present and future ME testing needs; (2) existing infrastructure and capabilities across the ME facility network (emphasizing national lab key assets); (3) gaps in testing capabilities and key laboratory infrastructure; and (4) opportunities for new investments and/or leveraging existing capabilities to strategically support WPTO programmatic goals. This project will also develop an analysis framework to evaluate and strategically prioritize ME infrastructure needs relative to new challenges and opportunities.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Technology
Research Sub-Category
Hydrokinetic
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
- Marine Energy
Marine Energy in the United States: An Overview of Opportunities
Lead Companies
National Renewable Energy Lab
Lead Researcher (s)
- Levi Kilcher
- Michelle Fogarty
- Michael Lawson
This report summarizes the best available data on U.S. marine energy resources at the national, state, and regional scales. Results are primarily based on U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded marine energy resource assessments for wave, tidal currents, ocean currents, ocean thermal gradients, and river currents.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Technology
Research Sub-Category
Hydrokinetic, Tidal, Wave
Status
complete
Completion Date
2021
- Marine Energy
Marine Energy Performance Metrics
Lead Companies
Sandia National Laboratories
Lead Researcher (s)
- Jesse Roberts
WPTO uses metrics to accomplish a variety of objectives, including enabling consistent evaluation of device performance in marine energy. Defensible and relevant performance metrics are required specifically for project funding decisions (e.g. FOA evaluations & Go/No Go decision points), shorter duration targeted initiatives (e.g. prizes and SBIRs), and generally baselining program and industry progress. Recommendations from reviewers during the 2019 WPTO Peer Review included further developing the use and implementation of performance metrics across the marine energy portfolio to achieve program goals. The MHK program goals are to (1) reduce LCOE of devices harnessing energy from waves, tides, and currents (specifically, targeting an 80% reduction in the cost of energy for wave, tidal, and river energy technologies from modeled reference 2015 baselines by the year 2035), and (2) support near term opportunities for commercialization through Powering the Blue Economy (PBE) markets.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Technology
Research Sub-Category
Wave
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
Expected 2022
- Marine Energy
Maturation of Nontoxic, Durable, Economical Coatings for Control of Biofouling and Corrosion on MHK Devices
Lead Companies
PNNL
Lead Researcher (s)
- George Bonheyo
The objective of this project is to mature and demonstrate durable, economical, and nontoxic coatings that will prevent fouling organisms from growing on MHK structures. A novel foul-release coating recently developed (initial patents filed in 2016 and 2017) at PNNL, Superhydrophobic Lubricant Infused Composite (SLIC) technology, will be adapted to provide the durability necessary for >5 year protection in the marine environment.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Technology
Research Sub-Category
Hydrokinetic
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
- Marine Energy
MHK Data Products and User Community Development (PRIMRE-MHK DATA AND USER COMMUNITY)
Lead Companies
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Sandia National Laboratory (SNL), National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Lead Researcher (s)
- Andrea Copping, PNNL
- Cesar Castillo, SNL
- Jon Weers (NREL)
This project’s primary objective is the outreach, engagement, and development of MHK data and information communities, in alignment with WPTO goals. Reducing Barriers to Testing‒ Work with agencies and other groups to ensure that existing data is well-utilized and identify potential improvements to regulatory processes and requirements, Data Sharing and Analysis ‒ Aggregate and analyze data on MHK performance and technology advances, and maintain information sharing platforms to enable dissemination‒ Leverage expertise, technology, data, methods, and lessons from the international MHK community and other offshore scientific and industrial sectors (e.g., offshore wind, oil and gas).
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability, Technology
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources, Hydrokinetic, Renewable Integration, Tidal, Wave
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
Expected 2023
- Marine Energy
Modeling the Path Forward for Marine Energy
Lead Companies
NREL
Lead Researcher (s)
- Levi Kilcher
- Elena Baca
Today’s marine energy industry is at an exciting turning point. Companies are testing out their early-stage prototypes—designed to harness the clean energy in ocean and river waves, currents, and tides—in their frst open-water trials. But while such trials are a necessary step toward commercialization, they can come with high costs and risk if the deployments do not go as planned. Luckily, experts at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) design tools to reduce the costs and risks of developing novel marine energy technologies. Free and publicly available, these software models provide data on a device’s potential performance, the resources (waves, tides, and currents) available at deployment sites across the United States, and costs associated with installing and operating marine energy technologies. With fast and accurate data, developers can learn how to optimize their designs—and reduce time, costs, and risks—before prototypes head into the water.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Technology
Research Sub-Category
Status
complete
Completion Date
2022
- Marine Energy
Modular Marine Energy Systems for Kelp Processing
Lead Companies
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Lead Researcher (s)
- Mike Rinker
This document summarizes the results of a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-sponsored project conducted to understand, evaluate, and address the challenges related to kelp processing and alternative off-season use of the seafood industry capacity in Alaska, and address the potential use of marine renewable energy (MRE) systems to provide the necessary power for potential unit operations associated with kelp processing. The report describes potential energy conversion processes for kelp and fish waste followed by a techno-economic and life cycle analyses for these processes. An initial aquatic ecological assessment for Southwest Alaska that outlines location-specific aquatic ecologic assessments that will be required to address the influence of kelp farming on the marine ecosystem. A kelp compositional analysis was conducted on samples of several commercial food-grade kelp as well as local samples of Alaskan kelp. A world survey of kelp cultivation was included to provide information regarding the kelp industry around the world. Finally, an initial assessment of the co-development of marine renewable energy and kelp processing capabilities in Southwest Alaska.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Technology
Research Sub-Category
Hydrokinetic
Status
complete
Completion Date
2021
- Marine Energy
Modular NH3 Energy Storage for Ocean Exploration
Lead Companies
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Lead Researcher (s)
- Jian Liu
Renewable power generated from wave energy has faced technological and cost barriers to entry into utility-scale electricity markets. As an alternative, the production of chemical fuels, such as ammonia (NH3) which has high energy density (11.5 MJ/L) and facile storage properties, may open wave energy to new markets including ocean exploration and transportation. The electrochemical method has been studied to synthesize NH3 from air and water at ambient conditions. Based on some recent work on the electrochemical synthesis of NH3, it is possible to achieve an overall conversion efficiency of 10% from wave energy to NH3 through an electrochemical reaction between air and water. If all the recoverable wave energy in the United States (1170 TWh/yr) is used to produce renewable NH3 fuel replacing hydrocarbon fuels, this can help reduce over 300 million tons of CO2 emission every year. Several potential application scenarios at sea have been proposed for renewable NH3 fuel including production and storage for marine shipping and seasonal energy storage for Arctic exploration. Liquefied NH3 has much higher energy density, both gravimetric and volumetric, than a variety of batteries but the energy efficiency of NH3 is lower than modern batteries such as Li-ion. The Levelized cost of storing NH3 prepared using electric energy is less than $0.2/kWh and the storage time can exceed 10,000 hours which indicates that NH3 can be a promising energy storage solution to make use of abundant wave energy. However, there are some safety and environmental concerns involved in the usage of NH3 at sea. The challenges in the electrochemical catalyst for the NH3 synthesis and how molecular simulation may help to screen electrocatalyst with high efficiency and selectivity were also briefly discussed.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Technology
Research Sub-Category
Wave
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
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Have questions about WaRP?
Contact Marla Barnes at: marla@hydro.org