Process and system for lithium production

A system that is configured to extract lithium and aluminium from a lithium-containing aluminosilicate mineral, the system comprising:

• a leaching reactor configured to subject a mixture of the lithium-containing aluminosilicate mineral and nitric acid to one or more of temperature, pressure, and agitation conditions such that the lithium and the aluminium are leached into an aqueous phase, and configured to hold a leach slurry comprising a leach liquor and a leached mineral, wherein the leach liquor comprises the lithium and the aluminium, which have been extracted as lithium nitrate and aluminium nitrate, respectively;
• a separation apparatus arranged to receive leach slurry from the leaching reactor, the separation apparatus configured to separate the leach liquor from the leached mineral;
• and
• a precipitation apparatus arranged to receive leach liquor that is separated from the leach slurry in the separation apparatus, the precipitation apparatus configured to heat the separated leach liquor to cause aluminium to auto-precipitate from the leach liquor.