Preparation of Battery-Grade Lithium Carbonate with Lithium-Containing Desorption Solution

Abstract

In this study, a process for preparing battery-grade lithium carbonate with lithium-rich solution obtained from the low lithium leaching solution of fly ash by adsorption method was proposed. A carbonization-decomposition process was carried out to remove impurities such as iron and aluminum. First, primary Li2CO3 was treated by CO2 to get the more soluble bicarbonates. The decomposition of LiHCO3 produced insoluble Li2CO3 at 90 °C And Li2CO3 was smashed by air stream pulverization. The final precipitation yielded a high purity (99.6%) and homogeneous Li2CO3. Some factors affecting production efficiency were investigated. The results showed that a liquid-solid ratio of 25:1, a carbonization temperature of 25 °C, an air velocity of 2 L/min, and a stirring speed of 400 rpm; a decomposition temperature of 90 °C and a stirring speed of 400 rpm, a molar ratio of EDTA to Ca 2:1; an air pressure of 0.3 MPa and hot water washing precipitate (L/S mass ratio 2:1) promoted ions removal.

Keywords

• lithium carbonate
• carbonation
• decomposition
• battery-grade
• air stream pulverization