Processes for recovering lithium values from lithium-containing brines
AssigneeAlbemarle Corporation
InventorsJesse DuPont, Jeffrey Ross LeBlanc, Keyur Shah, Sameer Talreja
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Producing high purity lithium solution from a source brine containing at least 1 mg Li/kg brine, preferably 10 mg/kg, more preferably 25 mg Li/kg brine; treating the source brine, if necessary in pretreatment steps; processing the treated brine in a lithium adsorption step; after the adsorption step, desorbing the adsorbed lithium in a desorption step; after the desorption step, treating the desorption effluent in an enrichment step. Specified optional steps and new features can be used to increase lithium concentrations and purity.
Claims1
A process for producing a high purity aqueous lithium-containing solution from a source of dissolved lithium, which process comprises:
- a. a source brine containing at least 1 mg Li/kg brine, preferably 10 mg/kg, more preferably 25 mg Li/kg brine;
- b. treating the source brine, if necessary, in pretreatment steps;
- c. processing the treated brine in a lithium adsorption step;
- d. after the adsorption step, desorbing the adsorbed lithium in a desorption step;
- and
- e. after the desorption step, treating the desorption effluent in an enrichment step.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.