Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Large Volume (20L+) Filtration of Coastal Seawater Samples
Published on: June 18, 2009
Highly efficient separation of lithium chloride from seawater
Shinji Tsuchiya1, Yoko Nakatani, Rizwangul Ibrahim
1Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Japan.
Abstract:
A complexing reagent composed of two bipyridine moieties enabled the efficient separation of lithium chloride through liquid membrane from seawater, in which 0.005% lithium chloride is contained (more than 99% metal chlorides are NaCl, KCl, MgCl2, and CaCl2). That is, two separations by our liquid membrane changed the molar ratio of LiCl from 0.005% to 80%. The striking characteristic of this compound is that the lithium ion is separated efficiently from alkali and alkaline earth metal ions without the lipophilic anion. Thus this new membrane system contructed by us offers a low-energy, low-cost, and environmentally friendly method to enable the routine use of lithium chloride separation from seawater.
Related Concept Videos
Classifying Matter by Composition
According to its composition, the matter can be classified into two broad categories — pure substances and mixtures.
A pure substance is a form of matter that has a constant composition throughout with uniform properties. For example, any sample of sucrose has the same composition and same physical properties, such as melting point, color, and sweetness, regardless of the source from which it is isolated.
A mixture is composed of two or more types of...
Extraction: Advanced Methods
High-Performance Liquid Chromatography: Introduction
In HPLC, two phases play a critical role in the separation process:
High-Performance Liquid Chromatography: Elution Process
Metabolism of Chemolithotrophs
Downstream Processing

