青藏高原碳酸盐型锂盐湖开发技术

Exploitation of carbonate lithium salt lake in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

中国的盐湖锂资源十分丰富,并且盐湖类型齐全;锂是对国民经济和国家安全有重要意义的能源金属,近年来随着国际社会对新能源的高度重视,国内外锂盐行业发展十分迅猛,锂盐湖的开发也迎来了新的机遇。综述了中国青藏高原碳酸盐型锂盐湖的分布、卤水特点和重要碳酸盐型锂盐湖产业化状况,详细阐述了盐梯度太阳池技术和兑卤法技术,及其在中国青藏高原碳酸盐型锂盐湖中的应用情况。中国碳酸盐型锂盐湖具有镁锂比低、工艺技术相对简单的特点,通过这两种技术的有机结合,该类型盐湖有望在开发过程中率先实现重大突破。

Lithium salt lakes are well developed in China with abundant chemical types. The quaternary salt lakes, with good exploitation prospects, are mainly distributed in Chinese northwestern regions, especially, in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The lithium, as an energy metal, is of great significance for the domestic economy and the national security. Recently, the lithium industry sees a rapid development in the world due to the new energy policies of the main economical countries. The exploitation of the lithium resources from salt lakes is a new focus. The distribution, the brine chemical characteristics, as well as the industrialization of the carbonate type lithium salt lakes are reviewed in this paper. The two main technologies to exploit the carbonate type lithimn salt lake brines, the salinity gradient solar pond technology and the mixing brine technology, are discussed, as well as their utilization in salt lakes. With a discussion of combining the two technologies, the possibility of exploitation in large scale of the carbonate type lithium salt lakes is indicated.