Lithium Brine to Lithium Carbonate Process Separation Solutions

The Electrical Vehicle (EV) market is undergoing a revolution that is transforming the transportation landscape using Lithium-Ion battery technology. The demand for lithium ion battery is projected to increase to 4900 Gwh in 2030 as compared to 1500 Gwh in 20241. To meet this challenge, high purity Lithium Hydroxide and Lithium Carbonate are required as essential materials to formulate these batteries.
The primary sources of Lithium are either brine lakes (Salars) or mineral deposits of mostly Spodumene ore. The Spodumene ore contains up to 6 % weight Lithium and is extracted from the ground in conventional mining operations that can be either underground pit excavation or surface strip mining depending on the location of the mineral lode.
Brine Applications
Brine is pumped from Salars into surface ponds for evaporation (Figure 1). Initial brine contains Lithium Chloride ranging from 200 to 1,400 ppm. Impurities include Mg, K, SO4, Ca and others precipitate out of solution before Lithium Chloride. A series of ponds may be used and chemicals to adjust pH and precipitate out impurities.
Application p a per Overview of Lithium Processing:
Evaporative Brine and Hengyang Technology When the brine is concentrated to 6% Lithium, it is pumped into a processing plant and converted to
Lithium Carbonate. The entire process can take up to 18 Months and can be affected by the weather and rainfall. 
Extraction of Lithium from brines is a less expensive method compared to processing Spodumene or other ores due to the requirements for mining, grinding, high energy costs to heat and calcinate and the use of sulfuric acid for leaching. However, it does require regional desert like conditions to allow for extended evaporation and takes a much longer period to be processed from raw brine to final product.
Besides the use of primary evaporation ponds, an adsorbent bed can be used to remove Lithium by Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE). A major drawback of this method is the need for fresh water to elute the Lithium off of the adsorbent bed after it has been collected from the brine. The feasibility of using an adsorbent bed can also be affected by the ratio of contaminants in the brine such as high levels of Magnesium compared to Lithium and how selective the adsorbent material is to Lithium.

Lithium forecasts indicate demand will more than triple over the next decade. With the newest technology, backed by years of experience in brine and spodumene extraction methods, we are a full solutions partner for major lithium processing operations.

The two primary production methods for lithium – brine evaporation and hard rock (e.g. spodumene) processing

– come with their own unique set of challenges. We have more than 20 years of experience in providing cutting- edge technologies that cover both approaches for lithium production. Our capabilities include:

•     Hard rock concentrators

•     Hard rock concentrate refinery facilities

•     Brine processing facilities

Lithium is found in very low concentration in igneous rocks. The largest concentrations of lithium-containing minerals are found in granitic pegmatites. The most important of these minerals are spodumene (Li2O, Al2O3. 4SiO2) and petalite (Li2O, Al2O3. 8SiO2). Spodumene has a theoretical Li2O content of 8.03%. Due to its high lithium content, spodumene is considered the most important lithium ore mineral. A typical run of mine ore can contain 1-2% Li2O, while a typical spodumene concentrate suitable for lithium carbonate production contains 6-7% Li2O (75% - 87% spodumene). Higher grade concentrates with 7.6% Li2O and low iron content are used in ceramics and more demanding industries.