Outotec Oyj

Outotec (finland) Oy

Metso Outotec Finland Oy

Marika Tiihonen

Liisa Haavanlammi

Olli Hyvärinen

Eero Kolehmainen

Juho Savikangas

Reijo Tontti

Sami Kinnunen

Olli Hyvaerinen

A method and apparatus of preparing lithium compound(s) from lithium-containing mineral includes a) a leaching step, wherein the lithium-containing mineral is leached in aqueous leach solution containing alkaline carbonate, for liberating lithium and phosphate(s) from the lithium-containing mineral, thus obtaining leach slurry containing lithium carbonate and phosphate(s) leach slurry, b) a carbonization step, wherein the leach slurry containing lithium carbonate and phosphate(s), obtained from the leaching step, is reacted with an alkali earth metal compound in the presence of COfor obtaining a carbonated slurry containing lithium hydrogen carbonate, and for precipitating phosphate(s) contained in the leach slurry as insoluble phosphate compound(s), c) a solid-liquid separation step, wherein the carbonated slurry obtained from carbonization step is subjected to solid-liquid separation wherein the undissolved mineral and phosphate compound(s) are separated as solids that can be recovered or discarded, thereby obtaining a solution containing lithium hydrogen carbonate.

Method of extracting lithium compound(s)

A method and arrangement for recovering lithium hydroxide from a mineral containing lithium, by pulping the raw material containing lithium in the presence of water and an alkali metal carbonate, leaching the obtained slurry twice, first at an elevated temperature, and secondly in an aqueous solution containing an alkali earth metal hydroxide, separating the thus obtained slurry into solids and a solution containing lithium hydroxide, the latter being purified, whereby lithium hydroxide monohydrate can be recovered from the purified solution by crystallising, and finally separating the solution obtained during the crystallization from the process and recycling it to one or more of the previous process steps.

Method for recovering lithium hydroxide

The invention relates to a method for purifying impure lithium bicarbonate by means of a cation exchange resin. In addition to solution purification by ion exchange, the treatment stages include the regeneration of impurity metals bound to the resin. Regeneration consists of washing the resin with water, elution with acid solution, washing with water, neutralization with alkali solution and washing with water. It is characteristic of the method that neutralization is performed with sodium hydroxide solution.

Method for purifying lithium bicarbonate

A method and arrangement for recovering lithium carbonate from a raw material containing lithium, which method comprises pulping () the raw material containing lithium in the presence of water and sodium carbonate for producing a slurry containing lithium from the raw material containing lithium. After pulping the lithium-containing slurry is leached () for dissolving the lithium in the solution thus producing a solution containing lithium carbonate. After pulping and leaching the method comprises carbonating () the solution containing lithium carbonate by using carbon dioxide under atmospheric conditions for producing a solution containing lithium bicarbonate and separating () the solids form the solution. The solution containing lithium bicarbonate is purified () to produce a purified solution containing lithium bicarbonate, and recovering by crystallizing () lithium carbonate from the purified lithium bicarbonate-containing solution.

Method for recovering lithium carbonate

The invention relates to a method for recovering gold in connection with the hydrometallurgical production of copper from a waste or intermediate product containing sulphur and iron that is generated in the leaching of the copper raw material. The recovery of both copper and gold occurs in a chloride environment. The gold contained in the waste or intermediate is leached by means of divalent copper, oxygen and alkali bromide in a solution of copper (II) chloride and alkali chloride, in conditions where the oxygen-reduction potential is a maximum of 650 mV and the pH a minimum of 0.5. The bromide accelerates the dissolution of the gold.

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Espoo, Finland

Marika Tiihonen