The enormous "black box" container is connected to several water pipes that can "turn decay into magic." The high-magnesium-lithium ratio brine from the local salt lake enters the "black box" from one end of the pipe, and then flows out purified into high-quality "South American salt lake brine." No chemical reagents are added throughout the process, and no harmful chemicals are produced.
This on-site "magic trick" delighted the lithium production companies from salt lakes who came to observe. The original, disruptive technology involved in the "magic trick," which may rewrite the lithium production capacity of my country and even the world, was "transferred" from Central South University for a high price of 104.8 million yuan.
The reduced ratio of brine has become a bottleneck in lithium resource development.
Lithium is a familiar material to most people. From power batteries for new energy vehicles to mobile phone batteries, lithium is a major raw material in many applications.
The heavy use of lithium is related to its extremely abundant global reserves. According to data from the U.S. Geological Survey, global lithium reserves are 13 million tons, and lithium resources amount to 39.5 million tons. Of these, 76% of lithium resources are found in salt lake brines. In my country, 85% of its proven lithium reserves are also found in salt lake brines.
Salt lake brines are mainly distributed in the Andes Mountains of South America and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of my country. Generally, the higher the average lithium concentration and the lower the magnesium-to-lithium ratio in the brine, the more favorable it is for lithium extraction.
The magnesium-to-lithium ratio (Mg-to-Li) of most salt lake brines in my country is tens or even hundreds of times higher than that of high-quality salt lake brines abroad. With current technologies, it is difficult to achieve large-scale, efficient, clean, and economical development and production of lithium resources from salt lakes with high Mg-to-Li ratios. Because reducing the Mg-to-Li ratio in brine is also very difficult, the development of high Mg-to-Li ratio brine resources in my country and even the world has not been able to significantly release their production capacity. Therefore, although my country is a major lithium resource country, its dependence on foreign lithium resources remains above 70%, and importing high-quality brine from South America for lithium extraction is commonplace.
How to reduce the magnesium-to-lithium ratio has become a key technological bottleneck in the development of lithium resources in brine with a high magnesium-to-lithium ratio in salt lakes, and it is also a difficult problem facing industry experts.
New technologies are expected to lead to an unprecedented release of lithium production capacity.
One of the core strengths of the School of Metallurgy and Environment at Central South University, where Zhao Zhongwei works, is the preparation of lithium-ion battery cathode materials using metallurgical methods. "If we can prepare lithium-ion battery cathode materials using metallurgical methods, then conversely, using lithium-ion battery cathode materials as a 'tool' should allow us to extract lithium," Zhao Zhongwei explained to a reporter from Science and Technology Daily on May 14th. The principle behind this revolutionary lithium extraction technology from brine in salt ponds was as simple as a thin layer of paper that could be easily pierced.
However, it took more than a decade to "break through" this barrier. During these years, Zhao Zhongwei's team conducted extensive research and finally proposed an electrochemical intercalation-deintercalation method, and developed related equipment and processes that can achieve efficient and selective extraction and enrichment of lithium from salt lake brines with a high magnesium-to-lithium ratio.
Although the technology is still in the laboratory and far from industrialization, it has not dampened the interest of lithium extraction companies. The technology is expected to help my country and the world develop lithium resources, leading to an unprecedented release of lithium production capacity.
As soon as Central South University spread this news among the companies that are interested in brine lithium extraction technology, it immediately attracted many companies to extend olive branches seeking cooperation.
Ultimately, the technology was snapped up by Shanghai Danhua Technology Development Co., Ltd. last year. The total licensing fee was 104.8 million yuan, including 24.8 million yuan in cash and 80 million yuan in equity. To effectively implement this patented technology, the two parties jointly established a platform company, Jiangsu Zhongnan Lithium Industry Co., Ltd., which is 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 mineral resources and the transformation of patented scientific and technological achievements. Professor Zhao Zhongwei's patented technology of 'electrochemical deintercalation method for lithium extraction from salt lake brine' has solved the global problem of lithium extraction from salt lake brine with high magnesium-to-lithium ratio. We believe that this technology has a bright future."
"Negotiation experts" provide "foolproof" services for conversion.
Looking back on the transfer process, Zhao Zhongwei, a self-proclaimed "technology enthusiast," still feels "dizzy." He only remembers being extremely excited after successfully achieving this result in the laboratory and eagerly going to the research department of Central South University to "seek technology transfer." However, upon hearing about the complex technology transfer procedures and the "perils-ridden" nature of commercial negotiations, Zhao Zhongwei felt his "brain circuits" go blank and backed down.
With extensive experience in technology transfer, the negotiation team from the Research Department of Central South University certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity to facilitate the commercialization of disruptive technological achievements. The university actively connected with relevant enterprises and dispatched Li Changyou, director of the Technology Transfer Office of the Research Department of Central South University, as a "negotiation expert" to provide "foolproof" services for Zhao Zhongwei's technology transfer.
Li Changyou recalled that the most important reason why Zhao Zhongwei backed out was not only the complexity of the transfer process, 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, when contributing intangible assets as equity, a 'transfer of property rights' must be processed; 'use rights as equity' are not acceptable," said Li Changyou. Therefore, only "patent right transfer" can realize "technology as equity" in a company.
To balance the interests of both parties, under the mediation of "negotiation experts" like Li Changyou, only one of Zhao Zhongwei's three invention patents ultimately underwent a change of patentee procedures. Meanwhile, the contract stipulated that although the patent was formally sold to the company, the other party must provide free cooperation when Zhao Zhongwei's team and the university applied for national awards for this technology. This negotiated outcome relieved Zhao Zhongwei of any worries.
The company spent a huge sum of money to purchase [products] even before it had entered the pilot stage.
Another awkward situation arose during the negotiations. Regarding the commercialization of the negotiated results, Zhao Zhongwei's technology had only just emerged from the laboratory and had not yet undergone costly pilot-scale testing. "Pilot-scale testing cannot guarantee success. Universities do not have the funds to cover the high costs incurred. If the pilot-scale test fails, the university will find it difficult to reimburse the company for its investment," said Wei Hua. "Although this patented technology is still only a laboratory-stage result, we believe in Professor Zhao's research capabilities. If problems arise in subsequent pilot-scale testing and industrial production, they will be resolved accordingly. We are willing to invest heavily in this patented technology, and even if the technology ultimately cannot be industrialized, we are prepared to accept the outcome." Wei Hua possesses the decisiveness and boldness of an entrepreneur, acting without hesitation when necessary.
However, the process was not without its challenges. Li Changyou said, "During the transfer negotiations, the company initially had different views on the school's requirements regarding risk-taking and intellectual property rights, and felt it was an 'unequal' transaction. However, the company wasn't stupid; they were willing to buy even at a high risk because the benefits that would come from the industrialization of this technology were worth the gamble. As it turned out, they won the gamble."
Following the technology transaction, the pilot test conducted in Changsha yielded very satisfactory results. "The company now 'regrets' it, regretting that it shouldn't have given the school 80 million yuan in equity, but should have directly paid 80 million yuan in cash," said Li Changyou.
"In fact, after the patent transfer was completed, we spent a huge amount of money on pilot-scale experiments. Through the hard work and joint efforts of the Shanghai Danhua expert technical team and Professor Zhao's research team, we solved one technical problem after another. At present, this technology and complete set of process equipment have basically met the requirements of industrialization and have been well received by salt lake manufacturers in Qinghai and Tibet." Wei Hua has a deep impression of every step of the transformation process, and she is very pleased with the progress now.
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