锂硬岩精矿转化为电池原料和商品产品

We present a demonstration of lithium hardrock refining that overcomes many of the limitations of existing processes. This approach inverts the order of dissolution in conventional hydrometallurgy and valorizes α-spodumene [α-LiAl(SiO3)2] into lithium battery salts, amorphous silica, and alumina (Fig. 1). The extraction of metals from silicate minerals is a fundamental challenge in metallurgy because silicates are unreactive toward most reagents. Conventional hydrometallurgical processes preferentially dissolve nonsilicate components, producing a waste stream of silicate-enriched tailings. Lithium extraction from spodumene (Fig. …