METHOD FOR LITHIUM RECOVERY FROM BRINES USING COMPOSITES FUNCTIONALIZED WITH TERPYRIDINES

Claims

A lithium recovery process from natural or artificial brines comprises preparing a terpyridine-functionalized composite, contacting the brine with the functionalized composite inside a filter bag in a column, maintaining contact until a lithium-functionalized composite complex is formed, controlling the process until the complex reaches saturation, acidifying the complex with a strong acid to release the lithium, and recovering the lithium. The composite, formed with mesoporous materials at the nanometer or micrometer scale, is capable of extracting and concentrating lithium after an initial contact of at least 48 hours at room temperature. The resulting composites exhibit a high lithium-binding capacity from brines with lithium concentrations as low as 2 ppm and are highly resistant. This lithium can be easily released by changing the pH with a strong acid.