Scientists in Germany are turning to pomegranate trees to help power the future of renewable energy. Researchers at Clausthal University of Technology recently developed a new method to recover lithium from smelting slags, the by-product left behind when ores are melted.
As reported by Interesting Engineering, the researchers used punicin — a naturally derived compound found in pomegranate leaves — to extract lithium from this by-product rock. In laboratory tests, the process achieved a 92% recovery rate, transforming industrial waste into a valuable resource and offering a cleaner, more sustainable way to meet the world's growing lithium needs.
In the technique, air bubbles lift lithium-bearing particles to the surface of a water-based slurry, separating them from unwanted material. Punicin then attaches to these lithium particles, rendering them hydrophobic and allowing them to float. The result is lithium recovered from waste rock, instead of being mined from the Earth.
Lithium plays a key role in technology and renewable power. The element powers the batteries that run our laptops and smartphones, making it vital to connectivity. But rechargeable lithium batteries also power electric vehicles and renewable energy storage systems, such as those powered by solar and wind. Given the constant growth of the tech and renewable energy sectors, the demand for lithium is skyrocketing.
Although lithium is essential to meeting the world's clean energy needs, its extraction comes at a steep cost. As Euronews reported, lithium mining often depletes water sources, contaminates soil and waterways, harms biodiversity, and contributes to planet-warming pollution — all while exploiting vulnerable workers and communities. Even so, lithium-ion batteries remain key to cleaner power — at least for now.
Efforts to recover lithium from waste materials can help mitigate the impacts of mining — but most current recovery methods are costly and inefficient, leaving large amounts of this valuable metal behind. That's where punicin extraction may be a game changer.
By using plant-derived compounds instead of harsh (and expensive) synthetic chemicals, this method minimizes environmental harm while reclaiming lithium from waste with high efficiency. Beyond lithium, scientists hope this method could be used to recover other valuable metals like copper or tantalum, cleaning up the mining industry even further.
But, as Interesting Engineering pointed out, the method is still experimental within labs. Cost, energy efficiency, and purity of the recovered lithium still need to be assessed. The method's commercial viability will depend on how well the process performs when scaled.
However, the possibilities of punicin are exciting. Transforming slag into a more sustainable source of in-demand lithium could help reduce industrial waste, curb mining pressure, and lower the element's cost — all good things for the future of our power and our planet.
Here's hoping that pomegranate proves to be the fruit of clean energy's future.
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