For more information on improving the efficiency of your processes, contact our team of filtration experts.
What is Spodumene Lithium?
Spodumene is a lithium bearing mineral found in hard rock formations and accounts for roughly 50–60% of global lithium production. It serves as a key raw material for producing battery grade lithium compounds used in electric vehicles and energy storage systems. Filtration supports process reliability, product yield, and helps reduce rework and operating costs across these stages.
How Is Lithium Extracted from Spodumene?
Lithium extraction from spodumene begins with mining and continues through a series of thermal and chemical processing steps designed to produce lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide.
The process involves:
- Mining and Concentration: Spodumene is mined and concentrated.
- High Temperature Roasting: The concentrate is roasted to convert alpha spodumene to beta spodumene.
- Chemical Treatment: The roasted material undergoes acid or alkaline leaching to produce lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide.
- Purification: Final products are purified to meet battery grade standards.
This hard rock route complements other lithium production pathways.
Challenges in Lithium Extraction from Spodumene (hard rock)
Lithium extraction from spodumene concentrate presents several challenges, including:
- Achieving high recovery rates of battery grade lithium
- Managing material loss during complex processing
- Ensuring purity and crystallization of the final product
- Maintaining reliability and cost efficiency amid fluctuating ore compositions
Raw spodumene lithium ore sample used in hard rock lithium extraction.
Filtration’s Role in Spodumene Lithium Processing
Filtration is critical in the spodumene lithium extraction process. It enhances:
- Process reliability
- Product yield
- Reduction of rework and operating costs
These outcomes support battery material production requirements across related processes like cathode active material and battery energy storage.
Pall Corporation: Filtration for Spodumene Lithium Extraction
Pall Corporation offers filtration technologies tailored to spodumene concentrate processing. These solutions remove solid particulates and dissolved impurities, resulting in high purity lithium suitable for EV batteries.
Pall supports spodumene processing pathways for both lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide.
-
Hard rock to Lithium Carbonate
-
Hard rock to Lithium Hydroxide
Typical Process Flow Sheet for Lithium Carbonate from Hard Rock
| Filter | Filtration Value | Separation Product |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Remove solid particulate from furnace flue gas to prevent emissions | Gas Blowback Filter |
| 2 | Prevent ingression of tailings impurities and carryover sand into system from upstream processes | 1 - 5 Micron Filter |
| 3 | Prevent ingression of impurities into system from injected precipitation chemicals | 1 - 5 Micron Filter |
| 4 | Protect Ion Exchange (IX) and crystallizer from carryover solids coming from the filter press | Regenerable Filter |
| 5 | Remove trace solids and Ion Exchange resin fines before the crystallizer | 1 Micron Filter |
| 6 | Prevent ingression of impurities into system from injected Sodium Carbonate solution | 1 - 5 Micron Filter |
| 7 | Recover fine particles of Lithium Carbonate from mother liquor recycle stream | Regenerable Filter |
Typical Process Flow Sheet for Lithium Hydroxide from Hard Rock
| Filter | Filtration Value | Separation Product |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Remove solid particulate from furnace flue gas to prevent emissions | Gas Blowback Filter |
| 2 | Prevent ingression of tailings impurities and carryover sand into system from upstream processes | 1 - 5 Micron Filter |
| 3 | Prevent ingression of impurities into system from injected precipitation chemicals | 1 - 5 Micron Filter |
| 4 | Protect Ion Exchange (IX) and crystallizer from carryover solids coming from the filter press | Regenerable Filter |
| 5 | Prevent ingression of impurities into system from injected Sodium Hydroxide solution | 1 - 5 Micron Filter |
| 6 | Recover fine particles of Lithium Hydroxide from mother liquor recycle stream | Regenerable Filter |
Explore Pall’s Filtration Solutions
Explore how Pall’s filtration solutions can support your spodumene lithium applications. Contact our experts to improve your process efficiency and product quality.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is spodumene lithium?
Spodumene is a lithium bearing mineral found in hard rock formations and accounts for approximately 50–60% of global lithium production.
How is lithium extracted from spodumene?
Lithium is extracted through mining and concentration, high temperature roasting, chemical treatment through leaching, and purification to produce battery grade lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide.
What challenges exist in extracting lithium from spodumene?
Challenges include achieving high recovery rates, managing material loss, ensuring purity and crystallization of the final product, and maintaining reliability and cost efficiency.
Why is filtration important in spodumene lithium processing?
Filtration is critical because it enhances process reliability, product yield, and helps reduce rework and operating costs.
What filtration steps are used in hard rock lithium processing?
Filtration steps include removing solid particulate from flue gas, preventing ingression of impurities, protecting ion exchange and crystallizers from carryover solids, and recovering fine lithium carbonate particles.