Improve Lithium Yield from Spodumene Concentrate – Get a Custom Filtration Solution
What is Spodumene Lithium?
Spodumene is a lithium-bearing mineral found in hard rock formations, primarily in Australia, Canada, and parts of Africa. It accounts for approximately 50–60% of global lithium production. Another hard rock source is lepidolite, a lithium-rich mica mineral found in granite pegmatites.
How is Lithium Extracted from Spodumene?
The process of extracting lithium from spodumene concentrate involves:
- Mining and Concentration: Spodumene is mined and concentrated.
- High-Temperature Roasting: The concentrate is roasted to convert alpha-spodumene to beta-spodumene.
- Chemical Treatment: The roasted material undergoes acid or alkaline leaching to produce lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide.
- Purification: Final products are purified to meet battery-grade standards.
Challenges in Lithium Extraction from Spodumene (hard rock)
Extracting lithium from spodumene concentrate presents several challenges:
- Achieving high recovery rates of battery-grade lithium.
- Managing material loss during complex processing.
- Ensuring purity and crystallization of the final product.
- Maintaining reliability and cost-efficiency amid fluctuating ore compositions.
Filtration’s Role in Spodumene Lithium Processing
Filtration is critical in the spodumene lithium extraction process. It enhances:
- Process reliability.
- Product yield.
- Reduction of rework and operating costs.
Pall Corporation: Filtration Experts in Spodumene Lithium Extraction
Pall Corporation offers filtration technologies tailored to spodumene concentrate processing. These solutions remove solid particulates and dissolved impurities, resulting in high-purity lithium suitable for EV batteries.
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Hard rock to Lithium Carbonate
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Hard rock to Lithium Hydroxide
Typical Process Flow Sheet for Lithium Carbonate from Hard Rock
| Filter | Filtration Value | Separation Product |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Remove solid particulate from furnace flue gas to prevent emissions | Gas Blowback Filter |
| 2 | Prevent ingression of tailings impurities and carryover sand into system from upstream processes | 1 - 5 Micron Filter |
| 3 | Prevent ingression of impurities into system from injected precipitation chemicals | 1 - 5 Micron Filter |
| 4 | Protect Ion Exchange (IX) and crystallizer from carryover solids coming from the filter press | Regenerable Filter |
| 5 | Remove trace solids and Ion Exchange resin fines before the crystallizer | 1 Micron Filter |
| 6 | Prevent ingression of impurities into system from injected Sodium Carbonate solution | 1 - 5 Micron Filter |
| 7 | Recover fine particles of Lithium Carbonate from mother liquor recycle stream | Regenerable Filter |
Typical Process Flow Sheet for Lithium Hydroxide from Hard Rock
| Filter | Filtration Value | Separation Product |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Remove solid particulate from furnace flue gas to prevent emissions | Gas Blowback Filter |
| 2 | Prevent ingression of tailings impurities and carryover sand into system from upstream processes | 1 - 5 Micron Filter |
| 3 | Prevent ingression of impurities into system from injected precipitation chemicals | 1 - 5 Micron Filter |
| 4 | Protect Ion Exchange (IX) and crystallizer from carryover solids coming from the filter press | Regenerable Filter |
| 5 | Prevent ingression of impurities into system from injected Sodium Hydroxide solution | 1 - 5 Micron Filter |
| 6 | Recover fine particles of Lithium Hydroxide from mother liquor recycle stream | Regenerable Filter |
Explore how Pall’s filtration solutions can support your spodumene lithium applications. Contact our experts to improve your process efficiency and product quality.