A First Assessment on the Scale-Up Possibilities of Different Electrochemical Techniques for Lithium Isotopic Enrichment

Chemicals enriched in lithium isotopes are of paramount importance in the current nuclear fission technology, in future nuclear fusion technology, and in neutron detectors. Currently, lithium isotopes are obtained by using mercury amalgams, which is a nonenvironmentally friendly procedure. An interesting alternative is to take advantage of the electrochemical isotope effect. Here, we take, as the departure point, experimental data that were already reported for a prospective first stage of an electrochemical process, and we numerically simulate different scale-up possibilities. We calculate the minimum number of repetitive stages needed to reach a certain degree of isotopic enrichment. Second, we improve our simulations, considering that different operating conditions are used while keeping the same fundamental electrochemical process: a minimum of 145 stages are necessary to produce a sample with 90% enrichment in Li-6. We conclude with a comparison on the different electrochemical technologies, in view of the complementary steps necessary for scaling up.