Ricardo Andres Morales

Mr. Ricardo Andres Morales


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

1Year (2026-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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11 October 2026 in Minerals
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Journal Article
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RCRené Cabezas
René Cabezas
FCFernando Arturo Alejandro Mora Castillo
Fernando Arturo Alejandro Mora Castillo
RMRicardo Andres Morales
Ricardo Andres Morales
NMNicolás Drey Monsalve
Nicolás Drey Monsalve
EVEduardo Villarroel
Eduardo Villarroel
LPLuis H Pino-Soto
Luis H Pino-Soto
Selective lithium recovery from dilute brines remains challenging because Li+ must be separated from competing ions, particularly Mg2+. In this work, a commercial NF90 nanofiltration membrane was used as a non-dispersive interface between a simulated brine and the hydrophobic ionic liquid [P6,6,6,14][PHOS]. Individual-salt experiments yielded apparent overall mass transfer coefficients of 638 ± 273, 100.5 ± 19.8, and 10.1 ± 0.7 L m−2 h−1 for Na+, Li+, and Mg2+, respectively. Replacing water with 10% (v/v) [P6,6,6,14][PHOS] in hexane as the receiving phase increased Li extraction from 18.6 ± 3.0% to 40.9 ± 2.0%. Under direct Li+/Mg2+ competition, selectivities of 2.19 ± 1.10 and 3.83 ± 0.56 were obtained with the diluted and neat ionic liquid receiving phases, respectively. With neat [P6,6,6,14][PHOS], Li extraction reached 40.3%, and 6.0% of the extracted Li was subsequently recovered in pure water under non-optimized conditions. CHNS analysis showed no detectable transfer of organic material derived from the ionic liquid to the aqueous feed. Overall, NF90 was the main source of Li+/Mg2+ transport discrimination, whereas [P6,6,6,14][PHOS] mainly increased Li uptake.