Process and circuit for direct lithium extraction

A process for direct lithium extraction, comprising the steps of:

• feeding a lithium-bearing feed solution comprising lithium ions and residual impurities to a direct lithium extraction process circuit having a plurality of process zones;
• contacting the lithium-bearing feed solution with an alumina-based lithium selective adsorbent in an adsorption loading process zone of the direct lithium extraction process circuit to form a lithium-loaded adsorbent bed;
• displacing the residual impurities from the lithium-loaded adsorbent bed in a salt wash displacement process zone of the direct lithium extraction process circuit using a salt wash solution, the salt wash solution comprising a chloride salt;
• displacing the salt wash solution from the lithium-loaded adsorbent bed in a lithium product elution process zone of the direct lithium extraction process circuit with an eluate solution to recover lithium and purify the recovered eluate to yield a lithium eluate having an increased lithium to impurity ratio;
• and
• recycling at least a portion of the displaced salt wash solution containing the displaced residual impurities into the direct lithium extraction process circuit.