Commercial Lithium Brine Production

Lithium is a metal commonly used in batteries like the rechargeable ones found in laptops, cellphones, and electric cars as well as in ceramics and glass. It is the lightest metal on Earth and is soft enough to be cut with a knife when in its elemental form.Processing From Brine

Much of the lithium produced today is extracted from brine reservoirs called salars that are located in high-elevation areas of Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile. In order to extract lithium from brines, the salt-rich waters must first be pumped to the surface into a series of large evaporation ponds where solar evaporation occurs over a number of months.Potassium is often first harvested from early ponds, while later ponds have increasingly high concentrations of lithium. Economical lithium-source brines normally contain anywhere from a few hundred parts per million (ppm) of lithium to upwards of 7,000 ppm.

When the lithium chloride in the evaporation ponds reaches an optimum concentration, the solution is pumped to a recovery plant where extraction and filtering remove any unwantedboronormagnesium. It is then treated with sodium carbonate (soda ash), thereby precipitating lithium carbonate. The lithium carbonate is then filtered and dried. Excess residual brines are pumped back into the salar.

Lithium carbonate is a stable white powder that is a key intermediary in the lithium market because it can be converted into specific industrial salts and chemicals—or processed into pure lithium metal.