Lithium extraction in the presence of scalants

A system for extracting lithium from a liquid resource, the system comprising:

• a) a lithium-selective ion exchange material, wherein the lithium-selective ion exchange material absorbs lithium from the liquid resource to form a first lithium-enriched ion exchange material;
• b) an optional wash component configured to remove the liquid resource from said first lithium-enriched ion exchange material;
• c) a protonation component configured to contact an acidic solution to the first lithium-enriched ion exchange material, wherein lithium and impurities are eluted from said first lithium-enriched ion exchange material to form a first impurities-enriched lithiated acidic solution and a first partially-eluted ion exchange material;
• and
• d) a purification component configured to remove at least some of the impurities from said first impurities-enriched lithiated acidic solution to form a lithium-enriched acidic solution;
• and
• e) a fluid connection configured to either
• i. contact the lithium-enriched acidic solution with the first partially-eluted ion exchange material such that lithium and impurities are further eluted from the first partially-eluted ion exchange material to form a second impurities-enriched lithiated acidic solution having an accumulated amount of lithium and the first partially-eluted ion exchange material, or
• ii. contact the lithium-enriched acidic solution to a second lithium-enriched ion exchange material, wherein lithium and impurities are eluted from said second lithium-enriched ion exchange material to form a second impurities-enriched lithiated acidic solution having an accumulated amount of lithium and a second partially-eluted ion exchange material.