Electrochemical Mineral Extraction from Seawater and Brines

The accelerating global demand for clean energy and advanced manufacturing is driving an urgent need for sustainable recovery of critical metals from seawater and brines. Yet, the trace concentrations of valuable ions and the coexistence of competing species render conventional extraction methods inefficient and energy intensive. Emerging electrochemical technologies, such as capacitive deionization, electrodialysis, and selective electrolysis, offer unique opportunities to address these challenges by directly coupling ion recovery with renewable electricity. In this review, we systematically categorize recent electrochemical strategies for metal extraction, emphasizing their working principles, energy efficiencies, and ion-selectivity mechanisms. We highlight the critical role of interfacial design, electrode architecture, and process integration in realizing low-energy, high-selectivity extraction systems. Finally, we discuss future directions for integrating electrochemical extraction with renewable energy sources and circular-economy frameworks to enable scalable, energy-efficient mineral recovery from seawater and brines.