APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR RECOVERING LITHIUM FROM MOLTEN SALT CONTAINING LITHIUM PRECURSOR USING NON-CONDUCTIVE POROUS CERAMIC CONTAINER

摘要

PURPOSE: An apparatus and a method for recovering lithium from molten salt containing lithium precursor using non-conductive porous ceramic container are provided to effectively recover lithium by effectively blocking reaction between byproducts and lithium, easily separate molten salt and lithium and semi-continuously manufacture lithium in electrolytic cell relatively inexpensively. CONSTITUTION: The lithium recovery apparatus comprises an electrolytic cell comprising oxidation electrodes(2), a reduction electrode(1), a non-conductive porous ceramic container(7) surrounded on the reduction electrode, cooling water supply pipe(3) and cooling water discharge pipe(9), inert gas supply pipe(4) and inert gas discharge pipe(8), and a molten salt supply pipe(5); a vacuum absorption pipe(10); and a lithium storage tank(11), wherein the non-conductive porous ceramic container is formed of magnesium oxide, and wherein the non-conductive porous ceramic container has an average pore diameter of 2 to 100 μm. The lithium recovery method comprises a process of collecting lithium in the non-conductive porous ceramic container after electrolyzing the molten salt(6) by supplying molten salt comprising lithium precursor into a reduction electrode mounted electrolytic cell surrounded by a non-conductive porous ceramic container; a process of separating lithium from the molten salt by ascending the container; and a process of transferring the separated lithium into a lithium storage tank using a vacuum absorption pipe, wherein the lithium precursor is one or more of precursors selected from the group consisting of lithium oxide, lithium carbonate and lithium chloride.