[Haichuan Chemical Salary News] Production cycle for lithium extraction from salt lake brine reduced from 2 years to 20 days
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According to the Qinghai Daily, on May 16, the first meeting of the leading group responsible for drafting the action plan to build a world-class salt lake industry base was held in Xining, where the \"Action Plan for Building a World-Class Salt Lake Industry Base (Draft)\" (hereinafter referred to as the \"Action Plan\") was reviewed and discussed. Recently, a review meeting for this Action Plan was held in Beijing, where it was unanimously approved by the expert committee. Next, the committee will recommend that a leadership team be established at the ** level to set up effective coordination mechanisms, provide greater support, and advance the implementation of this plan. The Action Plan outlines the overall strategy for the high-quality development of the salt lake industry, namely the establishment of 1 world-class modern salt lake industry ecosystem ； Complete the 4 key tasks: establishing China Salt Lake Group, setting up a fund for the development of the salt lake industry, founding Qinghai Salt Lake University, and building key laboratories for salt lake research ； 12 major projects will be implemented, including the Project to Ensure a Stable Supply of Potassium Salts and Improve Their Quality, the Project to Expand the Production Capacity of Lithium Products and Improve Their Quality, initiatives for innovation in magnesium-based new materials, and the Project for the Efficient Development of Sodium Resources.
The production cycle for lithium extraction from salt lake brine has been reduced to 20 days. Lithium extraction from salt lake brine offers greater cost advantages compared to extraction from hard rock mines. According to a report by the Chilean Copper Association, depending on the quality of the salt lake resources and the lithium extraction processes used, the production cost per ton of lithium carbonate ranges from $4,100 to $5,800, while the cost per ton of lithium hydroxide is between $5,200 and $6,800 – figures that are significantly lower than those associated with lithium extraction from hard rock mines. At present, several viable lithium extraction routes have been developed in China. Depending on the quality of salt lake resources and geographical conditions, various lithium extraction technologies are selectively applied, including electrodialysis (Dongtai/Xitai Jinaili, Yiliping), aluminum-based adsorption methods (Chaharhan), solar pond technology (Zabuye), solvent extraction, and electrochemical methods. According to Zheng Mianping, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering who was part of the evaluation panel, the biggest advantage of the “Research on Efficient Lithium Extraction from Brine in Salt Lakes” project carried out by Minmetals Salt Lakes is that it transforms the existing industrial lithium extraction process, which involves first using evaporation methods in salt pans to separate sodium and potassium from the brine commonly found in Qinghai’s salt lakes, followed by magnesium and lithium separation in workshops and then lithium extraction through concentration. This new approach allows for the simultaneous separation of sodium, magnesium, potassium, and lithium directly from the original brine, as well as boron removal and lithium extraction, thereby **increasing the overall yield of lithium ions. According to Tang Faman, the technical director of Minmetals Salt Lake Company, the process eliminates the salt pan drying step, which is characterized by long separation and concentration times and low yields, thereby reducing the original production cycle of 2 years to 20 days.