https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3CrFR1Jk1w
the extraction of lithium consists of
the following major steps size reduction
and granulation calcination water
leaching evaporation and crystallization
and lithium recovery the lithium or from
the mine is fed directly to the
processing plant or alternatively to a
pad that can store 30 days of production
the ore is crushed and milled to
approximately 150 microns
and hydride and dolomite reagents
required in the next step of the process
are separately milled to the same size
they are then mixed with the ore in a
specialty granulator to form granules
the granules are dried with hot gases on
their way to the Cal signer at around
1000 degrees centigrade lithium sodium
and potassium the alkali metals in the
ore are converted to water-soluble
sulfates the resulting cal sign is then
air cooled in a fluidized bed cooler
preheated air from the cooler is added
to the Cal seiner while the Cal seiner
off gas is used to produce steam for the
downstream evaporation and drying units
lithium potassium and sodium are
dissolved along with trace amounts of
magnesium and calcium other impurities
remain insoluble
the leech solution is cycled to maximize
lithium concentration studies indicate
recovery rates of 90 percent for lithium
and 80 percent for potassium in the
evaporation and crystallization phase
clarified leech solution is mixed with
recycled solutions and fed to the
evaporators where lithium sulfate is
further concentrated and Glasser right
is crystallized by cooling after solids
and liquids are separated the liquids
are pumped to the lithium recovery
circuit while Glasser right is further
decomposed with water resulting in
crystallized potassium sulfate the
potassium sulfate is then separated
dried and packaged as a marketable
product
the liquid solution from the
decomposition circuit is recycled back
to the evaporators in the lithium
recovery circuit trace calcium and
magnesium are removed from the
concentrate using precipitation and
resin technologies
lithium carbonate is precipitated by
adding sodium carbonate once filtered a
lithium Baron solution crystallizes
Glauber salt which can be converted and
sold as an anhydrous sodium sulfate
by-product
the lithium carbonate is then washed
thoroughly with hot water and dried
high-quality lithium carbonate is now
ready to be packaged in 25 kilogram bags
and stored on pallets in preparation for
international shipment for use in the
rapidly expanding battery market
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