METHOD FOR RECOVERING LITHIUM CARBONATE

摘要

A method and arrangement for recovering lithium carbonate from a raw material containing lithium, which method comprises pulping (1) the raw material containing lithium in the presence of water and sodium carbonate for producing a slurry containing lithium from the raw material containing lithium. After pulping the lithium-containing slurry is leached (2) for dissolving the lithium in the solution thus producing a solution containing lithium carbonate. After pulping and leaching the method comprises carbonating (3) the solution containing lithium carbonate by using carbon dioxide under atmospheric conditions for producing a solution containing lithium bicarbonate and separating (4) the solids form the solution. The solution containing lithium bicarbonate is purified (5) to produce a purified solution containing lithium bicarbonate, and recovering by crystallising (6) lithium carbonate from the purified lithium bicarbonate-containing solution.

主权项

1. A method for recovering lithium carbonate from a raw material containing lithium selected from a group consisting of brine, a mineral containing lithium, spodumene, petalite or lepidolite or mixtures thereof, wherein the method comprises
pulping the raw material containing lithium in the presence of water and sodium carbonate for producing a slurry containing lithium, leaching the slurry containing lithium in the presence of high pressure steam for producing a solution containing lithium carbonate, carbonating the solution containing lithium carbonate by using carbon dioxide under atmospheric conditions for producing a solution containing lithium bicarbonate, separating the solids from the solution containing lithium bicarbonate by solid-liquid separation, purifying the solution containing lithium bicarbonate by ion exchange for producing a purified solution containing lithium bicarbonate, and recovering lithium carbonate by crystallising from the purified solution containing lithium bicarbonate.