Method of extracting lithium from lithium-containing solution

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12480180-B2
Application number	US-202017786627-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2020
Priority date	Dec 20, 2019
Publication date	Nov 25, 2025
Grant date	Nov 25, 2025

Abstract

A method of extracting lithium from a lithium-containing solution according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: obtaining a lithium chloride solution from the lithium-containing solution; and crystallizing and removing sodium chloride in the obtained lithium chloride solution.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of extracting lithium from a lithium-containing solution, comprising:
obtaining a lithium chloride solution from the lithium-containing solution; crystallizing and removing sodium chloride in the obtained lithium chloride solution; and crystallizing the obtained lithium chloride solution to obtain a solid lithium chloride, wherein the crystallizing and removing of the sodium chloride in the obtained lithium chloride solution is performed by heating the solution at 55° C. to 70° C.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the crystallizing and removing of the sodium chloride in the obtained lithium chloride solution is crystallizing sodium chloride using vacuum evaporation crystallization.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein water generated in the crystallizing and removing of the sodium chloride in the obtained lithium chloride solution is reused in the obtaining of the lithium chloride solution from the lithium-containing solution.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein
in the crystallizing and removing of the sodium chloride in the obtained lithium chloride solution, a lithium concentration of the lithium chloride solution in which sodium chloride is precipitated is 45 g/L to 65 g/L.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein
the obtaining a lithium chloride solution from the lithium-containing solution is obtaining a lithium chloride solution from the lithium-containing solution using a lithium adsorbent.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein
the obtaining the lithium chloride solution from the lithium-containing solution using the lithium adsorbent comprises: adsorbing lithium from the lithium-containing solution using a lithium adsorbent; and desorbing the lithium adsorbed on the lithium adsorbent to obtain a lithium chloride solution.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein
after the obtaining of the lithium chloride solution from the lithium containing solution, the method further comprises concentrating lithium using reverse osmosis of the obtained lithium chloride solution.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein
after the obtaining of the lithium chloride solution from the lithium containing solution, the method further comprises concentrating the lithium chloride solution obtained by using electrodialysis.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein
after the crystallizing and removing of the sodium chloride in the obtained lithium chloride solution, the method further comprises performing bipolar electrodialysis of the lithium chloride solution from which sodium chloride has been removed, to obtain lithium hydroxide.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein
after the performing bipolar electrodialysis of the lithium chloride solution from which sodium chloride has been removed, to obtain lithium hydroxide, the method further comprises carbonating the obtained lithium hydroxide to obtain lithium carbonate.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein
after the performing bipolar electrodialysis of the lithium chloride solution from which sodium chloride has been removed, to obtain lithium hydroxide, the method further comprises crystallizing the obtained lithium hydroxide to obtain a solid lithium hydroxide monohydrate.

Assignees

• Res Inst Ind Science & Tech

Inventors

• Jung Woo Chul
• Park Woonkyoung
• Kim Kiyoung

Classifications

• C22B3/00

  Extraction of metal compounds from ores or concentrates by wet processes · CPC title

• C02F1/52

  by flocculation or precipitation of suspended impurities {(C02F1/463 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• C02F1/28

  by sorption (using ion-exchange C02F1/42; sorbent compositions B01J) · CPC title

• C02F1/02

  by heating (methods of steam generation F22B; preheating boiler feed-water or accumulating preheated boiler feed-water F22D) · CPC title

• C22B26/10

  Obtaining alkali metals · CPC title