SBIR Phase I: Enhanced Lithium Isotope Separation

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will be a secure domestic supply of isotopes. The initial target isotope for production is lithium-7-hydroxide for use in US light-water nuclear reactors. Currently the only source of this critical material is China or Russia and so the supply is susceptible to disruptions that would cripple the US electrical generating capability.

A cost-effective method to enrich very large quantities of lithium-7 is also required for the introduction of next-generation nuclear reactor technology. Molten salt reactors will deliver inherently-safe, environmentally friendly, carbon-free base load electrical power generation.

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project provides an innovative approach to enriching lithium-7. The concept is to develop a liquid-liquid method for lithium isotope separation that will work with an innovative high-speed counter current chromatography (HSCCC) system. All commercial HSCCC suppliers (UK and China) build their bobbins by winding tubing around a shaft.

The sides of the bobbins have the inlet and outlet fittings attached. This restricts the bobbins to only having a single inlet and outlet and having only a single tubing 'style' on a bobbin. Using 3-D printing to manufacture bobbins enables flexibility in design and manufacture while lowering cost.

In this project, 3-D printing will enable bobbins with different configurations to be manufactured and tested quicker and cheaper than the current conventional tube winding method enabling the bobbin configurations to be quickly adapted alongside the liquid-liquid method extractant/diluent formulations to optimize performance criteria.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.