It is called Chemical Electrolysis.
Electrolysis refers to the decomposition of a substance by an electric current. The electrolysis of sodium and potassium hydroxides, first carried out in 1808 by Sir Humphrey Davey, led to the discovery of these two metallic elements and showed that these two hydroxides which had previously been considered un-decomposable and thus elements were in fact compounds.
Electrolysis of molten alkali halides is the usual industrial method of preparing the alkali metals:
Chem1 Electrochemistry: Electrolysis via kwout
In chemistry buzz, by replacing a corrosive and toxic component with a compound commonly used as a food additive, chemists have come up with renewable energy storage technology that they report is safe to use in homes and businesses.
Should the design prove scalable, the researchers say it has the potential to top lithium batteries such as the Powerwall from Tesla Motors in terms of cost as well as length of time it could operate at peak power. Read more at Forbes.