Methods for extracting lithium from brines

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024336491-A1
Application number	US-202318295443-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 4, 2023
Priority date	Apr 4, 2023
Publication date	Oct 10, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods for extracting lithium from brines may include evaporating at least a portion of a brine using a number of one or more solar evaporation ponds to form a first slurry. A first solid may be separated from the first slurry and combined with an amount of a first precipitation additive to form a second slurry. A first liquid may be separated from the second slurry and at least a portion of the first liquid may be evaporated in a solar evaporation pond to form a third slurry. A second liquid may be separated from the third slurry and combined with an amount of a second precipitation additive to form a fourth slurry. A second solid may be separated from the fourth slurry and rehydrated, forming a fifth slurry. About 90 wt % or more of a salt in a solid product separated from the fifth slurry may be lithium carbonate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
evaporating at least a portion of a brine using a number of one or more solar evaporation ponds to form a first slurry;
wherein a concentration of magnesium in the brine is about 100 ppm to about 50,000 ppm and a concentration of lithium in the brine is about 0.01 ppm to about 5,000 ppm;
wherein the number of one or more solar evaporation ponds is a first output of a geochemical prediction model;
separating a first solid from the first slurry; combining the first solid with an amount of a first precipitation additive comprising soda ash, slaked lime, or a combination thereof, to form a second slurry comprising magnesium hydroxide, magnesium carbonate, or a combination thereof;
wherein the amount of the first precipitation additive is a second output of the geochemical prediction model;
separating a first liquid from the second slurry; evaporating at least a portion of the first liquid in a solar evaporation pond to form a third slurry; separating a second liquid from the third slurry; combining the second liquid with an amount of a second precipitation additive comprising soda ash to form a fourth slurry comprising lithium carbonate;
wherein the amount of the second precipitation additive is a third output of the geochemical prediction model;
separating a second solid from the fourth slurry; rehydrating the second solid to form a fifth slurry; and separating a solid product from the fifth slurry, wherein about 90 wt % or more of a salt in the solid product is lithium carbonate.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of total dissolved solids concentration to lithium concentration in the brine is about 1,500 ppm to about 1,000,000 ppm and a concentration of sodium in the brine is less than about 90,000 ppm.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the geochemical prediction model is a Harvie-Møller-Weare model.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first precipitation additive further comprises caustic soda.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first slurry has a concentration of total dissolved solids of about 200,000 ppm to about 500,000 ppm.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the third slurry has a concentration of total dissolved solids of about 200,000 ppm to about 1,000,000 ppm.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the brine further comprises calcium, sodium, potassium, chloride, bicarbonate, sulfate, or any combination thereof.

8 . A method comprising:
evaporating at least a portion of a brine using a number of one or more solar evaporation ponds to form a first slurry;
wherein a concentration of magnesium in the brine is about 100 ppm to about 50,000 ppm and a concentration of lithium in the brine is about 0.01 ppm to about 5,000 ppm;
wherein the number of one or more solar evaporation ponds is a first output of a geochemical prediction model;
separating a first liquid from the first slurry; combining the first liquid with an amount of a first precipitation additive comprising soda ash, slaked lime, or a combination thereof, to form a second slurry comprising magnesium hydroxide, magnesium carbonate, or a combination thereof;
wherein the amount of the first precipitation additive is a second output of the geochemical prediction model;
separating a second liquid from the second slurry; evaporating at least a portion of the second liquid in a solar evaporation pond to form a third slurry; separating a third liquid from the third slurry; combining the third liquid with an amount of a second precipitation additive comprising soda ash to form a fourth slurry comprising lithium carbonate;
wherein the amount of the second precipitation additive is a third output of the geochemical prediction model;
separating a first solid from the fourth slurry; rehydrating the first solid to form a fifth slurry; and separating a solid product from the fifth slurry, wherein about 90 wt % or more of a salt in the solid product is lithium carbonate.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein a ratio of total dissolved solids concentration to lithium concentration in the brine is about 1,500 ppm to about 1,000,000 ppm and a concentration of sodium in the brine is about 90,000 ppm to about 1,000,000 ppm.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the geochemical prediction model is a Harvie-Møller-Weare model.

11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the first precipitation additive further comprises caustic soda.

12 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the first slurry has a concentration of total dissolved solids of about 200,000 ppm to about 500,000 ppm.

13 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the third slurry has a concentration of total dissolved solids of about 200,000 ppm to about 1,000,000 ppm.

14 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the brine further comprises calcium, sodium, potassium, chloride, bicarbonate, sulfate, or any combination thereof.

15 . A method comprising:
evaporating at least a portion of a brine using a number of one or more solar evaporation ponds to form a first slurry;
wherein a concentration of magnesium in the brine is about 100 ppm to about 50,000 ppm and a concentration of lithium in the brine is about 0.01 ppm to about 5,000 ppm;
wherein the number of one or more solar evaporation ponds is a first output of a geochemical prediction model;
separating a first liquid from the first slurry; combining the first liquid with an amount of a first precipitation additive comprising soda ash, slaked lime, or a combination thereof, to form a second slurry comprising magnesium hydroxide, magnesium carbonate, or a combination thereof;
wherein the amount of the first precipitation additive is a second output of the geochemical prediction model;
separating a second liquid from the second slurry; combining the second liquid with an amount of a second precipitation additive comprising soda ash to form a third slurry comprising lithium carbonate;
wherein the amount of the second precipitation additive is a third output of the geochemical prediction model;
separating a first solid from the third slurry; rehydrating the first solid to form a fourth slurry; and separating a solid product from the fourth slurry, wherein about 90 wt % or more of a salt in the solid product is lithium carbonate.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein a ratio of total dissolved solids concentration to lithium concentration in the brine is less than about 1,500 ppm.

17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the geochemical prediction model is a Harvie-Møller-Weare model.

18 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the first precipitation additive further comprises caustic soda.

19 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the first slurry has a concentration of total dissolved solids of about 200,000 ppm to about 500,000 ppm.

20 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the brine further comprises calcium, sodium, potassium, chloride, bicarbonate, sulfate, or any combination thereof.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Lu Peng
• Luo Pan

Classifications

• C22B26/22

  Obtaining magnesium · CPC title

• C22B26/20

  Obtaining alkaline earth metals or magnesium · CPC title

• C22B26/10

  Obtaining alkali metals · CPC title

• C22B3/44

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

• C22B26/12

  Obtaining lithium · CPC title