我国盐湖卤水提锂工程化现状及存在问题

Current status and existing problems in industrialization for lithium extraction technology from salt lake brines in China

我国盐湖卤水中锂资源储量丰富,具有很好的开发利用前景.为了加快盐湖碳酸锂产业的发展,为我国提供紧缺的碳酸锂资源,我国科技工作者在盐湖提锂基础研究领域取得卓有成效的成果,但其产业化进程却发展缓慢,主要原因是过去对该领域重视不够、技术投入少,目前所采用工艺都存在各自的局限性:沉淀法受盐湖卤水性质影响较大,仅适合低镁锂比的卤水,应用范围受到限制;煅烧法能分离镁锂,但生产过程中产生氯化氢气体容易腐蚀设备,而且蒸发水量较大,能耗高,需对节能减排、环境保护和降低生产成本等方面进行改进;膜技术在反渗透浓缩过程中,膜易出现堵塞或损坏现象,且使用膜的成本较高,需要优化操作条件,稳定生产流程;离子吸附法处理卤水量大,其水耗、树脂消耗、动力消耗相应增大,特别是在淡水资源比较贫乏的地区受到一定程度的限制,同时在生产过程中导致树脂中毒和破碎等问题还需解决.所以,我们加强盐湖学基础研究的同时更应加快提锂技术的产业化进程研究.

The lithium resources are rich in China＇s salt lake, and the utilizing value are high. To speed the development of lithium extraction industrialization in our country and provide more lithium resources, the researchers and developers have achieved fruitful achievements in the basic research of extracting lithium resources from salt lake brine. However, the degree of industrialization for lithium extraction technology is low. Because of less attention and investment in the past, the used techniques have their own limitations： the precipitation method has been limited by the property of salt lake brine, it is only suitable for the salt lakes with low ratio of magnesium to lithium; the calcinations method can separate magnesium and lithium, but the hydrogen chloride gas is produced which corrodes equipments, and the evaporated water is huge, the energy consumption is high, so we should improve energy saving, environmental protection and reduce production cost;the phenomenon that membrane is blocked and damaged appears easily in the membrane technology, which costs much, this method should be improved by improving the operating condition and stabilizing production process; the adsorption method need more consumption of water, resins and energy, it isn＇t suitable to be used in areas lack of freshwater, meanwhile, the problems of resin poisoning and crushing should be solved. In a word, we should accelerate the study on lithium extraction industrialization, while we are strengthening basic research in this field.