Lithium from waste: Kazakhstan develops technology for processing low-grade ores

A group of scientists from the National Center on Complex Processing of Mineral Raw Materials has developed a technology for extracting lithium from low-grade aluminosilicate ores, mine waste, and industrial waste that were previously of no economic interest, reports Exclusive.kz.

The development is based on a carbothermic smelting process and enables comprehensive processing of the raw material with almost complete separation of the lithium and aluminosilicate components. This results in the formation of lithium concentrate, as well as a by-product, FS45 ferroalloy, used in the metallurgical industry.

A key feature of the technology is the concentration of lithium in the slag in a chemically active form, significantly simplifying subsequent processing stages and the production of lithium salts. This allows for increased recovery of the target metal when working with low-grade raw materials.

***"By processing lithium-poor ores, we obtain a concentrate with a lithium oxide content of 12-14%. This is more than twice the performance of traditional technologies, where the lithium oxide concentration at this stage does not exceed 5-6%," notes project manager and PhD candidate Feruza Berdikulova.

According to the developers, the implementation of this technology reduces the use of aggressive sulfuric acid solutions, lowers the environmental impact, and reduces production costs. In the long term, this solution could facilitate the reuse of accumulated mine waste and expand the raw material base of critical metals in Kazakhstan.

Source: exclusive.kz