A low-cost method for lithium extraction

On August 6, 2024 at 09:41, traditional lithium extraction methods in Jiangxi often have problems such as low resource utilization, 

high energy consumption, and high costs, 

which limit the widespread development and application of lithium resources. 

Therefore, exploring a low-cost and high-performance lithium extraction technology is of great significance for promoting the sustainable development of the lithium industry. 

Today we introduce a low-cost lithium extraction method that not only utilizes various lithium containing resources, including spodumene,

 lithium mica ore, salt lake brine, underground brine, 

and lithium slag from the production process of butyl lithium,

 but also achieves the goal of extracting lithium carbonate from multiple lithium containing resources through a series of process steps.

This method involves the comprehensive utilization of various lithium containing raw materials. 

The core of this method lies in constructing a resource-saving lithium extraction process, 

achieving comprehensive utilization and deep conversion of various lithium containing raw materials. 

Specifically, as follows:

1、 Raw material pretreatment

Solid state raw material processing: Firstly, solid lithium containing raw materials such as spodumene and lithium mica ore are crushed and screened.

 This step aims to reduce the particle size of the raw materials, increase the specific surface area, and provide a larger contact area and faster reaction rate for subsequent reactions.

Liquid resource purification: For liquid resources such as salt lake brine and underground brine, 

advanced concentration and purification technologies such as membrane separation, ion exchange, 

or solvent extraction are used to effectively remove impurity ions and extract high-purity lithium solutions, laying a solid foundation for subsequent reactions.

Reuse of by-products: This method innovatively incorporates lithium slag generated during the production of butyl lithium into the category of raw materials. 

By appropriate pretreatment, such as crushing, sorting, or chemical modification, the lithium element in lithium slag can be effectively recovered,

 realizing the concept of resource utilization and circular economy.

2、 Preparation of precursor for reaction

After obtaining a pure lithium source, according to the principle of chemical reaction, 

mix the lithium source with an appropriate amount of carbonate (such as sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, etc.) in proportion to form a reaction precursor. 

The key to this step is to ensure the uniformity of the mixture and sufficient contact between the reactants, creating conditions for subsequent chemical reactions.

3、 Reaction and precipitation

Next, place the reaction precursor in an appropriate reaction vessel and further increase the contact area between reactants through mechanical grinding to accelerate the reaction process. 

Under precisely controlled temperature and pressure conditions, the precursor undergoes a chemical reaction to produce lithium carbonate precipitate.

4、 Post processing and refining

The generated lithium carbonate precipitate needs to undergo a series of post-treatment steps, 

including filtration and washing to remove impurities and excess solution attached to the precipitate surface;

 Dry to remove moisture and obtain the initial product. In order to further improve product quality, subsequent processes such as carbon separation and calcination need to be carried out. 

The carbon separation process further decomposes or converts impurities in lithium carbonate into easily removable forms by finely regulating temperature and atmosphere conditions; 

Calcination changes the crystallinity and physical properties of lithium carbonate, 

such as particle size, shape, and distribution, through high-temperature treatment, making it more in line with the preparation requirements of battery materials.

The lithium carbonate prepared by the above process not only has high purity and good crystallinity, 

but also has low impurity content, meeting the standards of battery grade lithium carbonate. 

This battery grade lithium carbonate, as an important raw material for lithium-ion battery cathode materials, has chemical properties and stability,

 which can improve the energy density and cycle life of the battery.