Challenges in lithium extraction from Spodumene
Lithium-Ion batteries have strict purity requirements for their source materials of construction. Impurities can lead to poor charging performance, reduced vehicle range of operation, more frequent need to charge, problems with batteries starting at colder temperatures, and in some extreme cases, the batteries catching on fire. For Lithium Carbonate, the minimum purity requirement is 99.5 wt. %, for Lithium Hydroxide Monohydrate (LiOH-H2O) it is 56.5 wt.%, out of a theoretical maximum purity of 57.0 wt. % for Lithium Hydroxide (LiOH) due to the water monohydrate molecule. Filtration and separation can help improve both the process reliability for producing consistent high-purity products and for improving the product yields, reducing product re-work, and overall operating costs.
Pall Corporation: Filtration expert to separate Lithium for EV Battery production.
Pall Corporation can help optimize the spodumene extraction process applying a variety of filter technologies to remove solid particulates and dissolved impurities from the lithium-bearing solution, resulting in a high-purity lithium product, suitable for use in batteries.
Filtration locations in Lithium Processing from Spodumene
| Filter | Filtration Value | Separation Product |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bulk removal of precipitated salts - high solid concentrations | Filter Press or Centrifuge |
| 2 | Protect Ion Exchange (IX) resin and crystallizer from carryover solids | 1 - 5 Micron Filter |
| 3 | Remove trace solids and Ion Exchange resin fi nes before crystallizer | 1 Micron Filter |
| 4 | Collect Lithium Carbonate product | Filter Press or Centrifuge |
| 5 | Protect RO filtration unit from fouling. RO used to rinse fi nal product | 10 Micron Filters |
| 6 | Removal of contaminants from raw water for feed to RO and utility water for other uses including fl ushing out equipment | 10 - 20 Mircon Filter |
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