A new lithium mining technology has been developed in Kazakhstan

The development enables the processing of low-grade lithium-containing ores, producing a more concentrated product, while simultaneously reducing environmental impact.

Kazakh scientists have developed a new technology for processing low-grade lithium-containing aluminosilicate ores. This technology produces lithium concentrate with a higher content of the valuable metal and expands the country's resource base for critical minerals, reports a BAQ.KZ correspondent.

The development was presented by a group of scientists from the National Center on Complex Processing of Mineral Raw Materials of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The technology is based on a carbothermic smelting process, which ensures the almost complete separation of lithium and the aluminosilicate portion of the ore. In addition to lithium concentrate, the technology produces FS45 ferroalloy, which is in demand in the metallurgical industry.

According to the project manager, PhD in Engineering, Feruza Berdikulova, the new technology significantly surpasses existing solutions in terms of the quality of the concentrate produced.

"By processing lithium-poor ores, we obtain a concentrate with a lithium oxide content of 12-14%. This product is more than twice as rich in rare metal oxide as its traditional counterpart. Current technologies cannot increase the lithium oxide concentration above 5-6% at this stage," she noted.

Another advantage of the development is the reduced use of aggressive sulfuric acid solutions. This reduces the environmental impact of the process and cuts production costs.

According to the developers, the implementation of the new technology will enable the processing of low-grade lithium ores, previously considered less economically attractive, and will also strengthen the domestic resource base for critical metals, the demand for which is rapidly growing thanks to the development of battery production, electronics, and energy storage technologies.

Source: rus.baq.kz