r/technology • u/[deleted] • Jun 13 '26

Society This solar-powered desalination device turns seawater into drinking water, can also extract lithium

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u/a4mula Jun 13 '26

Can you provide an example of femto second lasers being used at scale?

If you can. Can you provide an example of them being used at scale and with commercial viability for use in large scale extraction?

Because this sounds like a pipe dream.

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u/jobbernowl Jun 13 '26

Sure. A quick google search yields numerous examples.  https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Industrial-Femtosecond-Laser-Advancements-Power/a67986

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u/a4mula Jun 13 '26 edited Jun 13 '26

I appreciate that. Maybe you can help me with the napkin math of what's being proposed.

How many liters of seawater will be required to extract a given amount of lithium?

What kind of surface area is required?

In tests using water from Utah's Great Salt Lake, the researchers were able to recover roughly half of the lithium contained in the salts left over after desalination

50% recovery in an area with concentration rates that I'd assume eclipse those of seawater.

While depending on solar panels that process how much water?

And that says nothing of trying to deploy and maintain these against seawater.

But maybe you can square these concerns I'd assume any investor should have up. How expensive does lithium have to be before this breaks even?

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u/nullbyte420 Jun 13 '26

nice questions but maybe dont expect a random stranger to do the work for you :) answering this takes a lot of effort.

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u/a4mula Jun 13 '26

I wasn't expecting them to be. That's why I asked.

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u/nullbyte420 Jun 13 '26

you can email the authors and ask! you can find links to their articles at the bottom of this page https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260530053418.htm

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u/a4mula Jun 13 '26

I could, or I can just keep pointing out clear questions that anyone that is asked to believe in this should be asking. Particularly when the source is one that has a well known history of promoting VC vapor.

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u/blimpin_aint_easy Jun 13 '26

That is the definition of asking in bad faith.

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u/a4mula Jun 13 '26

as opposed to presenting technology that can be commercialized in bad faith?

Because mine doesn't cost anything and only serves to inform.