Processing of the petalite involves roasting the pre-heated concentrate with concentrated H2SO4 followed by water leaching of the resulting Li2SO4, solution purification and precipitation of Li2CO3. The effects of roasting temperature, stirring speed, solid to liquid ratio, leaching temperature and time on the lithium dissolution are reported.
Petalite, also known as castorite, is a lithiumaluminium phyllosilicate mineral Li Al Si 4 O 10, crystallizing in the monoclinic system. Petalite occurs as colorless, pink, grey, yellow, yellow grey, to white tabular crystals and columnar masses. It occurs in lithium-bearing pegmatites with spodumene, lepidolite, and tourmaline.
Thus, alkaline pressure leaching was selected as the best leaching option for lepidolite in this study to improve the lithium extraction and recovery.
Usually acid leaching use lithium processing but lepidolite require alkaline (NaOH) leaching. The cost of extraction is much more than any other lithium ore.
High levels of impurities have previously hindered lepidolite processing, causing high energy consumption and increased production and environmental costs. Currently, four producers in Jiangxi province produce lithium from lepidolite: Yongxing Material, Jiangte Motor, Nanshi Lithium and Feiyu New Energy.
Lepidolite is a rare mineral because these geochemical situations rarely occur. The lithium ion is very small, and it does not readily substitute in other minerals. As a result, it is usually one of the last ions to form minerals during the crystallization of a subsurface magma. Lepidolite is the name of a rare lithium-rich mica mineral that is usually pink, red, or purple in color. It is the most common lithium-bearing mineral and serves as a minor ore of lithium metal, with rubidium and cesium sometimes being byproducts.
Lithium extraction from lepidolite and petalite is possible but it is expensive, because of energy consumption, environment related issues and quality related problem.
Process technology selection is complex matter. understanding of ore characteristics is most important thing before decide mining and processing technology selection.
LTR spend huge time and money to determine best processing technology.
Characteristics of ore always different than each other because geological background. For example lithium characteristics in Pilbara different than Midwest, or costal. All lithium is not the same. HLS system is not able to recover small particles, but WOF has this ability.
I hope the above information will be useful for you.
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