| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2021 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Rare Metal Extraction & Processing
|
| Presentation Title |
The Importance of Spodumene Decrepitation on the Lithium Sulfate Extraction |
| Author(s) |
Colin Dessemond, Gervais Soucy |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Gervais Soucy |
| Abstract Scope |
Since lithium-rich minerals regained market shares, spodumene has become one of the most important sources of lithium worldwide. Its theoretical Li content of 8 wt% and the specific thermal treatment and lithium extraction process known since 1950 make it a perfect candidate for industrial projects. However, it has been proven that the known α and β forms are not the only ones involved in this process. An elusive third phase, γ-spodumene, exists and is a non-negligible phase of the spodumene system. This phase has been specifically studied to determine that it has a metastable character that can be shown via thermodynamic calculations, that it is formed regardless of temperature treatment up to 1050°C and finally that it has a significantly negative impact on lithium extraction from 10 wt% and above. Therefore, γ-spodumene can not be ignored when processing α-spodumene as it can lead to decreased lithium extraction efficiencies. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Process Technology, Extraction and Processing, Hydrometallurgy |