Method for extraction of lithium from lithium bearing solution

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10017838-B2
Application number	US-201214363820-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2012
Priority date	Dec 12, 2011
Publication date	Jul 10, 2018
Grant date	Jul 10, 2018

Abstract

A method of extracting lithium from a lithium bearing solution and specifically, economically extracting lithium from a lithium bearing solution comprising the steps of: adding a nucleus particle to a lithium bearing solution; and precipitating the dissolved lithium in the lithium bearing solution as lithium phosphate by adding a phosphorous supplying material to the lithium bearing solution including the nucleus particle is provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of extracting lithium from a lithium bearing solution comprising the steps of:
adding a nucleus particle to a lithium bearing solution; and
precipitating dissolved lithium in the lithium bearing solution as lithium phosphate by adding a phosphorous supplying material to the lithium bearing solution including the nucleus particle,
wherein the nucleus particle has a particle diameter ranging from 6 to 25 μm and a specific surface area ranging from 50 to 100 m 2 /g.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nucleus particle is a lithium compound.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nucleus particle is an insoluble lithium compound.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nucleus particle is at least one selected from an insoluble organic compound, and an insoluble inorganic compound.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nucleus particle is included in an amount of less than or equal to 0.05 g/L based on a total volume of the lithium bearing solution.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nucleus particle is at least one selected from Li 3 PO 4 , Li 2 CO 3 , and LiF.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nucleus particle is at least one selected from Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 , hydroxyapatite, zirconia, TiO 2 , SeO 2 , Mg 3 (PO 4 ) 2 , MgO, MgAl 2 O 4 , Al 2 O 3 , and a plastic particle.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the phosphorous supplying material is at least one selected from phosphorous, phosphoric acid, a phosphate, and a mixture thereof.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein a concentration of the lithium phosphate is at least 0.39 g/L.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the lithium bearing solution is brine.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein a lithium concentration in the lithium bearing solution is greater than or equal to 0.1 g/L.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising a step of extracting lithium phosphate by filtering the precipitated lithium phosphate from the lithium bearing solution.

Assignees

• Res Inst Ind Science & Tech

Inventors

• Chon Uong
• Kim Ki Young
• Han Gi-Chun
• Song Chang Ho
• Jang Young Seok
• Jeung Kee-Uek
• Jung So Ra

Classifications

• C22B26/12 Primary

  Obtaining lithium · CPC title

• Y02P10/234

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• C22B3/44

  by chemical processes (treatment or purification of solutions by liquid-liquid extraction C22B3/26, by ion-exchange extraction C22B3/42) · CPC title

• Y02P10/20

  Recycling · CPC title