Will "magic" technology rewrite world lithium production?

　　Not long ago, Zhao Zhongwei, deputy dean of the School of Metallurgy and Environment of Central South University, and his team "packed" a container full of "black technology" equipment, and "drag the box with the mouth" from Changsha, Hunan, and "settled" in Golmud, Qinghai.

　　The huge "black box" container is connected to several water pipes that can "turn decay into magic". The local salt lake brine with a high "magnesium to lithium ratio" enters the "black box" from one end of the pipe. When it flows out again, it is purified into high-quality "South American salt lake brine". No chemical reagents are added in the whole process, and no harmful chemicals are produced.

　　Such on-site "magic" made the salt lake lithium-producing enterprises who came to observe the show very happy. The original disruptive technology involved in the "magic" may rewrite the production capacity of lithium products in my country and even the world. It was "transferred" from Central South University at a high price of 104.8 million yuan.

　　Brine reduction "ratio" becomes bottleneck in lithium resource development

　　Speaking of lithium, everyone is familiar with it. From new energy vehicle power batteries to mobile phone batteries, the main raw material is lithium.

　　The "reuse" of lithium is related to its extremely abundant reserves around the world. According to the United States Geological Survey, global lithium reserves are 13 million tons and lithium resources are 39.5 million tons. Among them, 76% of lithium resources exist in salt lake brine. 85% of my country's proven lithium resources are also found in salt lake brine.

　　Salt lake brine is mainly distributed in the Andes Plateau of South America and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of my country. Generally, the higher the average concentration of lithium in the brine and the lower the "magnesium-lithium ratio", the more conducive it is to the extraction of lithium.

　　The "magnesium to lithium ratio" of most of my country's salt lake brine is dozens or even hundreds of times higher than that of foreign high-quality salt lake brine. With the existing technology, it is difficult to achieve large-scale, efficient, clean and efficient production of salt lake lithium resources with a high "magnesium to lithium ratio". Economic development and production. Because it is difficult to reduce the "magnesium-lithium ratio" of brine, the development of high-magnesium-lithium ratio brine resources in my country and even the world has not been able to significantly release the production capacity. Therefore, although my country is a country with large lithium resources, its external dependence on lithium resources is still as high as over 70%. Importing high-quality brine from South America to extract lithium is the norm.

　　How to reduce the "magnesium-lithium ratio" has become a key technical bottleneck in the development of high magnesium-lithium ratio brine lithium resources in salt lakes. It is also a difficult problem facing industry experts.

　　New technology is expected to bring unprecedented release of lithium production capacity

　　One of Zhao Zhongwei’s strongest skills at the School of Metallurgy and Environment at Central South University is the preparation of lithium battery cathode materials using metallurgical methods. "Lithium battery cathode materials can be prepared using metallurgical methods. In turn, using lithium battery cathode materials as 'tools', we should be able to extract lithium." Such a disruptive lithium extraction technology from salt pond brine was announced by Zhao Zhongwei on May 14 According to a reporter from Science and Technology Daily, the principle is as simple as a layer of "window paper" that can be broken with one poke.

　　However, it took more than ten years to "pierce" this "window paper". Over the past ten years, Zhao Zhongwei's team has conducted a lot of research and finally proposed the electrochemical deintercalation method and developed related equipment and processes to achieve efficient and selective extraction and enrichment of lithium from salt lake brine with a high "magnesium to lithium ratio" .

　　Although the technology was just born in the laboratory and is not yet a step away from industrialization, it does not affect the interest of lithium extraction companies at all. The technology is expected to help my country and the world develop lithium resources and bring about an unprecedented release of lithium production capacity.

　　Central South University has just spread this news among the "circle of friends" of companies that are concerned about lithium extraction technology from brine, and it immediately attracted many companies to extend an olive branch "seeking cooperation".

　　In the end, this achievement was “quickly sold” by Shanghai Danhua Technology Development Co., Ltd. last year. The total royalties for the transfer license are 104.8 million yuan, including 24.8 million yuan in monetary funds and 80 million yuan in equity. In order to effectively implement this patented technology, the two parties jointly established a platform company, Jiangsu Zhongnan Lithium Industry Co., Ltd., which will be specifically responsible for the industrialization and production of the patented technology.

　　On May 15, Wei Hua, chairman and general manager of Shanghai Danhua Technology Development Co., Ltd., told a reporter from Science and Technology Daily: "Our company is a new technology enterprise specializing in the development of non-ferrous minerals and the transformation of patented scientific and technological achievements. The 'electricity' invented by Professor Zhao Zhongwei The patented technology of chemical deintercalation to extract lithium from salt lake brine solves the global problem of extracting lithium from salt lake brine with a high magnesium to lithium ratio. We believe this technology has a bright future.”

　　"Negotiation experts" provide "fool-like" services for conversion

　　Looking back on the transfer process, Zhao Zhongwei, as a "technical control", still feels "dizzy". He only remembered that he was very excited after the success of this result in the laboratory, and he couldn't wait to go to the Research Department of Central South University to "seek transformation." However, when Zhao Zhongwei heard about the complicated results conversion procedures and the "crisis" of business negotiations, he suddenly felt that his "brain circuit" was not smooth and retreated.

　　The negotiation team of the Scientific Research Department of Central South University, which has rich experience in transforming achievements, will certainly not miss the opportunity to promote the transformation of disruptive technological achievements. The school actively connects with relevant enterprises and dispatches Li Changyou, director of the Technology Transfer Office of the Scientific Research Department of Central South University, as a "negotiation expert" to provide "fool-like" services for the transformation of Zhao Zhongwei's achievements.

　　Li Changyou recalled that the most important reason for Zhao Zhongwei's retreat was not only the complexity of the transfer procedure, but also his unwillingness to "sell" the ownership of the technological invention patent he had obtained after more than ten years of hard work.

　　“According to national regulations, if you use intangible assets to invest in shares, you must go through ‘property rights transfer’ and you cannot use ‘use rights to invest in shares.’” Li Changyou said. Therefore, only "patent rights change" can achieve "technological equity participation" in the enterprise.

　　In order to balance the interests of both parties, under the mediation of "negotiation experts" such as Li Changyou, only one of the three invention patents in Zhao Zhongwei's hands underwent the procedure of changing the patentee. At the same time, the contract stipulates that although the patent is formally sold to the company, when Zhao Zhongwei's team and the school apply for the national award for this technology, the other party must cooperate free of charge. Such a negotiation result gave Zhao Zhongwei no worries.

　　The company spent huge sums of money to purchase it before it was put into pilot testing.

　　There is another "embarrassment" in the negotiations. When negotiating the issue of achievement transformation, Zhao Zhongwei’s achievements had just come out of the laboratory and had not been subjected to costly pilot tests. "The pilot test cannot be guaranteed to be foolproof. Universities do not have the funds to bear the high costs incurred during the process. If the pilot test fails, it will be difficult for the school to compensate the company for the funds invested in the pilot test." Wei Hua said, "Although this patented technology is only The results are in the laboratory stage, but we believe that Professor Zhao’s scientific research strength will solve the problems accordingly if they arise in subsequent pilot tests and industrial production. The results cannot be industrialized, and we are ready to accept the results." Wei Hua has the courage and courage of an entrepreneur and does not hesitate when it is time to take action.

　　However, the process was not smooth. Li Changyou said: "During the transfer negotiation process, the company initially had different views on the school's requirements in terms of risk-taking, intellectual property rights, etc., and felt that it was an 'unequal' transaction. However, companies are not fools, even if the risks are high They also want to buy it, naturally because the benefits that this technology will bring once it is industrialized are worth their ‘gamble’. Facts have proved that they won the bet.”

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