Lithium isotope concentration device, multi-stage lithium isotope concentration device, and lithium isotope concentration method
AssigneeHirosaki University
InventorsKazuya Sasaki, Kiyoto Shinmura
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Abstract
A lithium isotope concentration device includes a treatment tank partitioned in a supply tank and a recovery tank by an electrolyte membrane having a lithium-ion conductivity. The electrolyte membrane is cooled by a cooling device via an Li-containing aqueous solution in the supply tank to have a low temperature at which the Li isotope separation coefficient is larger. A power supply device, connected between electrodes provided on opposite surfaces of the electrolyte membrane, applies a positive voltage to an electrode on a supply tank side.
Claims7
A lithium isotope concentration device which includes a treatment tank partitioned into a first tank and a second tank and which recovers, from an aqueous solution being held in the first tank and containing 6Li and 7Li in a state of lithium ions, a lithium ion-containing aqueous solution having a higher isotope ratio of 6Li than that of the aqueous solution into the second tank, the lithium isotope concentration device comprising:
- a lithium-ion conductivity electrolyte membrane partitioning the treatment tank;
- electrodes having porous structures, the electrodes being provided in contact respectively with opposite surfaces of the lithium-ion conductivity electrolyte membrane;
- a power supply device configured to apply a voltage between the electrodes;
- and
- a cooling device configured to cool the lithium-ion conductivity electrolyte membrane at a temperature of 20° C. or lower,
- wherein the lithium-ion conductivity electrolyte membrane is made of a material comprising lithium lanthanum titanium oxide (La2/3−xLi3xTiO3),
- wherein the power supply device is configured to apply a voltage, and
- wherein the voltage applied is between 0.5 V and 1.5 V.
A lithium isotope concentration method for in a treatment tank partitioned into a first tank and a second tank by a lithium-ion conductivity electrolyte membrane, recovering, from an aqueous solution being held in the first tank and containing 6Li and 7Li in a state of lithium ions, a lithium ion-containing aqueous solution having a higher isotope ratio of 6Li than that of the aqueous solution into the second tank, the lithium isotope concentration method comprising:
- applying a voltage of between 0.5 V and 1.5 V between electrodes having porous structures, the electrodes being provided in contact respectively with opposite surfaces of the lithium-ion conductivity electrolyte membrane, with an electrode on a first tank side being set as positive while cooling the lithium-ion conductivity electrolyte membrane to a temperature of 20° C. or lower,
- wherein the lithium-ion conductivity electrolyte membrane is made of a material comprising lithium lanthanum titanium oxide (La2/3−xLi3xTiO3).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.