Lithium carbonate, as a globally important inorganic salt raw material, is widely used in ceramics, glass, lithium batteries and other fields. Especially in the lithium battery industry, with the rapid development of electric vehicles and energy storage market, the demand for lithium carbonate continues to grow. Therefore, the efficient extraction of lithium carbonate from ore has become a hot spot in current research.
The traditional lithium carbonate extraction process mainly adopts the sulfuric acid method. Although this method is mature, there are problems such as high energy consumption, high pollution and low resource utilisation. In order to solve these problems, researchers continue to explore new technologies and production processes.
The latest technological trends include:
Bioleaching technology: Using the extraction ability of microorganisms or their metabolites, lithium carbonate in the ore is converted into soluble lithium salts. This technology has the advantage of being environmentally friendly and low energy consumption, but the bioculture and leaching process is long and requires further optimisation.
Sodium chloride synergistic calcium chloride method: Based on the traditional calcium chloride method, sodium chloride is introduced as a synergistic agent to effectively improve the solubility of lithium carbonate and thus increase the extraction rate. This method has high industrial application value.
Membrane separation technology: using the selective permeability of special membrane materials to achieve effective separation of substances under the action of driving force. Membrane separation technology in lithium carbonate extraction has the advantages of high efficiency, energy saving, environmental protection, etc., but the life of membrane materials and separation efficiency still need to be improved.
In terms of production process, the following points are worthy of attention:
Optimise the existing process: for traditional processes, improve the extraction efficiency, reduce energy consumption and pollution by improving the operating conditions and processes.
Strengthen resource recovery: Recycle the waste and residue in industrial production, extract the useful components and realise the recycling of resources.
Integration and automation: with the help of modern information technology, automation and intelligent control of the production process, improve production efficiency and product quality.
In short, the technology and production process for extracting lithium carbonate from ore is constantly developing and optimising. In the future, with the improvement of environmental requirements and technological advances, we are expected to see more efficient and environmentally friendly extraction methods used in actual production.