Recovery, lithium

Alkaline lithium recovery process, 15 126 Alkaline primary cells... 

Ion-exchange equipment, 14 403-405 Ion-exchange hollow fibers, 16 15, 17 Ion-exchange lithium recovery processes, 15 126... 

Limestone-gypsum roasting lithium recovery process, 15 126, 127 Lime water softening methods, 26 116-119 Liming, in beet juice purification, 23 459-462... 

Sulfuric acid leach liquors, nickel and cobalt extraction from, 70 791 Sulfuric acid lithium recovery process, 75 125-126... 

The problem of lithium recovery from land-based hydromineral sources is very similar to the problem encountered in its recovery from seawater. Coprecipitation, extraction, and ion exchange, the methods used in both instances are practically the same. 

Extraction methods in lithium recovery processes have not found as wide use as other techniques. When several extractants, such as C3-C primary alcohols and Cg-Cg aliphatic ketones were tried for this purpose, isobutanol, the one that seemed to be the most promising yielded separation coefficient values for Li and Mg, and Na and K that were too low. Separation factors were increased by extracting lithium complexes with chlorides of iron, nickel, or cobalt in acidic media [126]. The most... 

It has been shown that the economics of the lithium recovery process is determined by the sorbent lifetime in the first stage. During the last few years, a number of ways to prevent sorbent loss and to prolong its useful life were found. 

Several alternative methods proposed for lithium recovery from seawater use ion exchange after solar evaporation and fractional crystallization of NaCl, CaS04 and KCl MClj. In these instances, polymeric ion exchangers, such as highly cross-linked Dowex 50 (16% DVB) [110] or Retardion Ag II, A8 (copolymer of styrene and acrylic acid cross-linked... 

It is worth emphasizing the fact that the number of publications on lithium recovery from seawater is rising steadily. 

Lithium Recovery. The melt used in this process is relatively inexpensive except for the lithium carbonate which comprises approximately 84% of the salt cost. Therefore it is desirable to recover the lithium from the process filter cakes. An aqueous process has been developed for this purpose. The filter cakes are slurried with water and filtered to extract the very soluble sodium and potassium carbonates lithium carbonate remains with the ash because it is relatively insoluble under these conditions. The ash-lithium carbonate cake is slurried in water and the lithium is solubilized by conversion to the bicarbonate. The ash is removed by filtration and the soluble bicarbonate in the filtrate is precipitated as the carbonate. The lithium carbonate is separated by filtration and returned to the process stream the saturated lithium carbonate filtrate is recycled to conserve lithium. Laboratory tests have demonstrated that more than 90% of the lithium can be recovered by this technique. 

Courtesy American Lithium Chemicals Figure 3. Lithium recovery kiln... 

All processes of lithium recovery yield sulfates, hydroxides, or chlorides in a contaminated water solution. These salts can be readily converted from one form to the other by way of the carbonate. Lithium, in many respects, is more like an alkaline earth than an alkali metal. Its carbonate, fluoride, and phosphate salts are relatively insoluble in water. Its hydroxide has a limited affinity for water, as contrasted with the very hygroscopic nature of caustic soda. 

C. Vadenbo, Prospective Environmental Assessment of Lithium Recovery in Battery Recycling -Natural and Social Science Interface, Zurich, 2009. 

The types of lithium - containing brines and technical solutions. Industrial technologies of the lithium recovery from brines. The selective extraction methods of lithium from brines and liquid wastes... 

For the liquors of multicomponent composition and of any mineralization, the most promising sorbents of lithium are the compounds based on aluminium hydroxide. The synthesis of aluminium compounds are rather simple and may be realized both in the reaction zone and out of it. The sorption capacity of aluminium hydroxides ( 8 - 10 mg equiv./g of AI2O3) is not worse than that of the cationites based on manganese and titanium. The degree of lithium recovery from liquors with aluminium hydroxide is also influenced by the method of aluminium hydroxide synthesis, molar ratio AI2O3 Li20 in the reaction mixture, temperature and pH of the process, interaction time, macrocomponent composition of the liquor (concentrations of NaCl, MgCl2, CaCb and other electrolytes). 

In many papers under consideration, the molar ratio between AI2O3 and Li20 is varied within the range 3.5 - 6.0. However, in some studies this ratio is much higher and reaches 40 [4,5,15], Effect of sodium, potassium and calcium chlorides on lithium recovery from liquors is found to be not so significant [11,16],... 

Thus, there is no doubt that the process of lithium recovery leads finally to the formation of anionic form of double hydroxide of lithium and aluminium (LADH-X). 

The influence of some parameters on the degree of lithium recovery from model... 

The Dead Sea is one of the world s largest and lowest inland lakes, containing a concentrated calcium-magnesium-sodium-potassium chloride brine, with about 10 ppm Li (Table 1.9) and reserves of about 2 milUon tons of Li. The brine is commercially evaporated in large solar ponds to produce potash in both Israel and Jordan, and their pond end-liquors often contain about 30 ppm Li. Some of this brine is processed for bromine and magnesia recovery, but most of it is merely returned to the sea. Because of its ready availability and potential value several laboratory studies have been made on lithium recovery from it, but without economic success. 

Several patents on lithium recovery ion exchange resins. Only one sample. 

Other salts crystallize. Lake Abijdata in Ethiopia has similar brines and solar ponds, but is a much smaller soda ash operation. The Sebka El Adhibate, Tunisia has about a 16 ppm Li concentration in a seawater-type brine, and after solar evaporation for potential potash production the end-liquor would contain 250-340 ppm Li (Hamzaoui et al, 2000). There are several other solar evaporation or mineral recovery projects throughout the world with end-liquors that might also be considered for potential lithium recovery. 

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