Lithium carbonate is a common inorganic compound with a wide range of industrial applications, such as for the production of ceramics, glass, and petroleum catalysts. There are various methods for the production of lithium carbonate, and one of the common methods is to prepare it through lithium sulfate. The following are the detailed steps of the method:
1. Preparation of raw materials: first, you need to prepare the required raw materials, including lithium feldspar, sulfuric acid, soda ash, etc.. Lithium pyroxene is a lithium-containing ore, which is the main raw material for the production of lithium carbonate.
2. Roasting: lithium pyroxene is roasted with sulfuric acid to produce lithium sulfate and sulfur dioxide gas. This reaction process can be expressed by the following chemical equation:
LiAlSi4O10 + 4H2SO4 = LiSO4 + Al2(SO4)3 + 4SiO2 + 4H2O
3. Leaching: The roasted material is leached with water to obtain a solution of lithium sulfate. This process can be represented by the following chemical equation:
LiSO4 + 2H2O = LiOH + H2SO4
4. Precipitation: Add appropriate amount of soda ash to the solution of lithium sulfate, so that lithium sulfate is converted to lithium carbonate precipitate. This reaction process can be expressed by the following chemical equation:
Li2SO4 + Na2CO3 = 2Na2SO4 + Li2CO3
5. Filtration and washing: The precipitate is filtered and washed with water to remove the impurities.
6. Drying: The washed lithium carbonate is dried to remove the water.
7. Calcination: The dried lithium carbonate is calcined at high temperature to get the lithium carbonate product with high purity.
8. Packing: the calcined lithium carbonate is packed for subsequent processing or sales.