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...
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KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
2023-01-01
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| Series: | China Geology |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2096519223008601 |
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| author | Tian-ming Gao Na Fan Wu Chen Tao Dai |
| author_facet | Tian-ming Gao Na Fan Wu Chen Tao Dai |
| author_sort | Tian-ming Gao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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.©2023 China Geology Editorial Office. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b2b3cfbc21184a45bfa3b8ea2ae9521a |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2589-9430 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. |
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| series | China Geology |
| spelling | doaj-art-b2b3cfbc21184a45bfa3b8ea2ae9521a2025-08-20T02:42:08ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.China Geology2589-94302023-01-016113715310.31035/cg2022088Lithium extraction from hard rock lithium ores (spodumene, lepidolite, zinnwaldite, petalite): Technology, resources, environment and costTian-ming Gao0Na Fan1Wu Chen2Tao Dai3MNR Key Laboratory of Metallogeny and Mineral Assessment, Institute of Mineral Resources Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China; Research Center for Strategy of Global Mineral Resources, Chinese Geological Survey, Beijing 100037, China; First author: E-mail address: gaoming80920@sina.com (Tian-ming Gao).China Huanqiu Contracting & Engineering Corp., LTD Beijing Branch, Beijing 100012, ChinaSDU Life Cycle Engineering, Department of Green Technology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense 5230, DenmarkMNR Key Laboratory of Metallogeny and Mineral Assessment, Institute of Mineral Resources Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China; Research Center for Strategy of Global Mineral Resources, Chinese Geological Survey, Beijing 100037, China; Corresponding author: E-mail address: eagledai@126.com (Tao Dai).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.©2023 China Geology Editorial Office.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2096519223008601Lithium oreLithium extractionComprehensive utilizationAcid methodAlkali methodSalt roasting method |
| spellingShingle | Tian-ming Gao Na Fan Wu Chen Tao Dai Lithium extraction from hard rock lithium ores (spodumene, lepidolite, zinnwaldite, petalite): Technology, resources, environment and cost China Geology Lithium ore Lithium extraction Comprehensive utilization Acid method Alkali method Salt roasting method |
| title | Lithium extraction from hard rock lithium ores (spodumene, lepidolite, zinnwaldite, petalite): Technology, resources, environment and cost |
| title_full | Lithium extraction from hard rock lithium ores (spodumene, lepidolite, zinnwaldite, petalite): Technology, resources, environment and cost |
| title_fullStr | Lithium extraction from hard rock lithium ores (spodumene, lepidolite, zinnwaldite, petalite): Technology, resources, environment and cost |
| title_full_unstemmed | Lithium extraction from hard rock lithium ores (spodumene, lepidolite, zinnwaldite, petalite): Technology, resources, environment and cost |
| title_short | Lithium extraction from hard rock lithium ores (spodumene, lepidolite, zinnwaldite, petalite): Technology, resources, environment and cost |
| title_sort | lithium extraction from hard rock lithium ores spodumene lepidolite zinnwaldite petalite technology resources environment and cost |
| topic | Lithium ore Lithium extraction Comprehensive utilization Acid method Alkali method Salt roasting method |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2096519223008601 |
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