Lithium extraction from hard rock lithium ores(spodumene,lepidolite,zinnwaldite,petalite):Technology,resources,environment and cost

Lithium production in China mainly depends on hard rock lithium ores,which has a defect in resources,environment,and economy compared with extracting lithium from brine.This paper focuses on the research progress of extracting lithium from spodumene,lepidolite,petalite,and zinnwaldite by acid,alkali,salt roasting,and chlorination methods,and analyzes the resource intensity,environmental impact,and production cost of industrial lithium extraction from spodumene and lepidolite.It is found that the sulfuric acid method has a high lithium recovery rate,but with a complicated process and high energy consumption;alkali and chlorination methods can directly react with lithium ores,reducing energy consumption,but need to optimize reaction conditions and safety of equipment and operation;the salt roasting method has large material flux and high energy consumption,so require adjustment of sulfate ratio to increase the lithium yield and reduce production cost.Compared with extracting lithium from brine,extracting lithium from ores,calcination,roasting,purity,and other processes consume more resources and energy;and its environmental impact mainly comes from the pollutants discharged by fossil energy,9.3-60.4 times that of lithium extracted from brine.The processing cost of lithium extraction from lepidolite by sulfate roasting method is higher than that from spodumene by sulfuric acid due to the consumption of high-value sulfate.However,the production costs of both are mainly affected by the price of lithium ores,which is less competitive than that of extracting lithium from brine.Thus,the process of extracting lithium from ores should develop appropriate technology,shorten the process flow,save resources and energy,and increase the recovery rate of related elements to reduce environmental impact and improve the added value of by-products and the economy of the process.

Kinetic approach to the study of froth flotation applied to a lepidolite ore

The number of published studies related to the optimization of lithium extraction from low-grade ores has increased as the demand for lithium has grown. However, no study related to the kinetics of the concentration stage of lithium-containing minerals by froth flotation has yet been reported. To establish a factorial design of batch flotation experiments, we conducted a set of kinetic tests to determine the most selective alternative collector, define a range of pulp p H values, and estimate a near-optimum flotation time. Both collectors（Aeromine 3000 C and Armeen 12D） provided the required flotation selectivity, although this selectivity was lost in the case of pulp p H values outside the range between 2 and 4. Cumulative mineral recovery curves were used to adjust a classical kinetic model that was modified with a non-negative parameter representing a delay time. The computation of the near-optimum flotation time as the maximizer of a separation efficiency（SE） function must be performed with caution. We instead propose to define the near-optimum flotation time as the time interval required to achieve 95%–99% of the maximum value of the SE function.

Extract lithium from clay-type lithium ore by mixed acid and its mechanism Author links open overlay panel

A roasting-leaching test was carried out for the efficient utilization of clay-type lithium ore in the central region of Yunnan province.The test used the mixed acid of sulfuric acid and phosphoric acid as the leaching agent.Under the conditions of roasting temperature of 600℃,roasting time of 1 h,liquid-solid ratio of 5:1,volume ratio of H_(2)SO_(4)solution to H_(3)PO_(4)solution of 45:5,leaching time of 2 h and leaching temperature of 80℃,the leaching rate of lithium was as high as 97.83%.The leaching mechanism was studied by SEM,pore property analysis,XRD and XPS.It was found that the morphology of the ore changed obviously after roasting and leaching,and a certain degree of collapse and fragmentation occurred,which provided favorable spatial conditions for the leaching of lithium.The porosity,total intrusion volume and total pore area also increased after roasting and leaching,thus promoting the leaching of Li^(+).The results showed that chemical reaction taken placed during the roasting and leaching.The phase of the sample changed from chlorite,kaolinite and diaspore(boehmite)mainly to corundum,hematite,periclase and quartz after roasting.However,after leaching,no new phase was produced in the ore sample,and no S and P elements were found on the surface of the ore sample,indicating that the leaching mechanism of lithium might be the ion exchange between H^(+)and Li^(+).