| Abstract Scope |
Recent progress in lithium electrowinning has renewed interest in alternative routes to produce metallic lithium for advanced anode applications. This contribution critically reviews recent literature, focusing on electrochemical reduction in LiCl-KCl eutectic, Li₂CO₃-based precursors, alternative molten salts, and emerging ionic liquids. It compares key parameters such as current efficiency, energy consumption, deposit morphology, impurity control, and process scalability. While LiCl-KCl remains the industrial benchmark because of its favorable conductivity and stability, carbonate-based routes operate at lower temperatures but face challenges in kinetics and gas evolution. Ionic liquids provide promising low-temperature alternatives with improved safety, although cost and long-term stability remain barriers to industrial deployment. Cross-comparison highlights trade-offs between thermodynamic stability, process intensity, and material purity and morphology. Perspectives on integrating these technologies into next-generation lithium metal production are discussed. |