Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) with Manganese-Based Adsorbents: Selectivity Challenges and Global Perspectives with a Focus on Japan

Haeon Moon; Satoshi Asano

doi:10.7844/kirr.2026.35.3.3

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2026 Vol.35, Issue 3 Next Page

Article Review

Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) with Manganese-Based Adsorbents: Selectivity Challenges and Global Perspectives with a Focus on Japan 망간계 흡착제를 이용한 직접 리튬 추출(DLE): 선택성 과제와 일본을 중심으로 한 글로벌 전망

30 June 2026. pp. 3-13

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Abstract

Direct lithium extraction (DLE) from aqueous resources, including geothermal brines, seawater, and complex saline waters, has emerged as a promising complement to conventional lithium supply routes, such as hard-rock conversion and solar evaporation. Among various approaches, manganese-based lithium-selective adsorbents derived from λ-MnO₂ structures have attracted considerable attention due to their high lithium selectivity and favorable adsorption–desorption reversibility. This review evaluates the four principal DLE pathways—adsorption, ion exchange, solvent extraction, and electrochemical intercalation— and focuses on their reaction mechanisms, technological readiness levels, and operational constraints. Particular emphasis was placed on Mn-based adsorption systems developed in Japan and their applicability in geothermal brine environments. Key process challenges, including multivalent-ion interference, silica fouling, and pH drift, are discussed together with mitigation strategies, such as buffering control, surface stabilization, and hybrid flowsheet integration. Industrial developments involving adsorption-based and hybrid DLE systems, including projects associated with Lilac Solutions, Sunresin, and XtraLit, are examined in the context of global supply chain transformations. In addition, recent policy frameworks, including the European Union Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) and the United States Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), were analyzed to assess their implications for DLE deployment and regional lithium supply strategies. This analysis suggests that DLE technologies are likely to be developed as resource-specific portfolios rather than as universal replacements for conventional extraction routes. Adsorption-based systems appear particularly compatible with geothermal resources, whereas solvent extraction serves effectively as a downstream purification step in integrated flowsheets. In East Asia, a dual-track strategy combining overseas salar projects with domestic geothermal resource development may provide a viable pathway for resilient lithium supply chains.

Keywords

direct lithium extraction

λ-MnO₂

geothermal brine

lithium selectivity

East Asian strategy

지열수·해수·복합염수 등 다양한 수자원으로부터 리튬을 회수하는 직접 리튬 추출(direct lithium extraction, DLE)은 증발지 및 정광 기반 공급체계의 구조적 한계를 보완하는 대안으로 부상하고 있다. 일본에서 개발된 λ-MnO₂ 기반 흡착제는 지열수 조건에서 높은 리튬 선택성과 우수한 사이클 안정성을 보여 왔으며, 특히 중성 pH 조건에서의 버퍼링과 표면 안정화가 망간 용출과 성능 저하를 효과적으로 억제하는 것으로 보고되었다. 본 논문은 흡착, 이온교환, 용매추출, 전기화학적 삽입의 네 가지 DLE 경로를 대상으로 작동 메커니즘과 기술성숙도(technology readiness level, TRL)를 비교·정리하고, 지열수 및 해수 적용성, 다가 양이온 간섭, 실리카 오염, pH 드리프트 등 주요 공정 과제를 체계화하였다. 아울러 EU 핵심원자재법(CRMA, Regulation (EU) 2024/1252)과 미국 인플레이션 감축법(IRA)을 포함한 정책 환경과 최근 생애주기평가(life-cycle assessment, LCA) 논의를 종합하여, 동아시아의 기술·정책 연계 전략을 제시한다. 특히 일본의 해외 사막호수 파일럿과 국내 지열자원 연계를 축으로 한 이원적 DLE 경로가 중·하류 소재 공급망과 접속되는 현실적 로드맵을 논의한다.

키워드

직접 리튬 추출

λ-MnO₂

선택성

지열수

동아시아 전략

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Information

Publisher :The Korean Institute of Resources Recycling
Publisher(Ko) :한국자원리싸이클링학회
Journal Title :Resources Recycling
Journal Title(Ko) :자원리싸이클링
Volume : 35
No :3
Pages :3-13
Received Date : 2025-10-24
Revised Date : 2026-02-09; 2026-03-17
Accepted Date : 2026-03-19
DOI :https://doi.org/10.7844/kirr.2026.35.3.3

Resources Recycling ISSN:2765-3439(Print) 2765-3447(Online) 자원리싸이클링

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