Method for producing lithium solution and apparatus for producing lithium solution

Abstract

The present invention provides technology for dissolving more lithium without performing a calcination step at a high temperature. A method (M10) for producing a lithium solution comprises: a pulverization step (S11) for pulverizing lithium ore that contains α-spodumene by causing a medium to collide with the lithium ore; and a dissolution step (S12) for dissolving, in an acid solution, powder of the lithium ore which is obtained in the pulverization step (S11).

Description

Lithium solution manufacturing method and lithium solution manufacturing device

[0001] One aspect of the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing a lithium solution from lithium ore.

[0002] In recent years, demand for lithium compounds, including lithium-ion batteries, has been increasing. Meanwhile, mass production of lithium compounds is carried out using a traditional manufacturing method discovered in the 1950s. This manufacturing method involves a calcination step in which crushed lithium ore is baked at high temperatures of 1000°C or higher (see "4.1. The Traditional Process" in Non-Patent Document 1). This step is carried out for the purpose of converting α-spodumine, which is contained in large quantities in lithium ore, into β-spodumine. This is because β-spodumine is more easily soluble in acid solutions (e.g., sulfuric acid solutions) than α-spodumine.

[0003] Colin Dessemond et. al., Spodumene: The Lithium Market, Resources and Processes, Minerals 2019, 9, 334.

[0004] However, the calcination process described above consumes a large amount of power.

[0005] One aspect of the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of dissolving a larger amount of lithium without performing a calcination step at a high temperature such as 1000°C.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a method for producing a lithium solution according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a crushing step of crushing lithium ore containing α-spodumine by colliding media against the lithium ore, and a dissolving step of dissolving the lithium ore powder obtained by the crushing step in an acid solution.

[0007] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the pulverization step makes it easier for α-spodumine contained in the lithium ore to dissolve in the acid solution, and therefore, more lithium can be dissolved without performing a calcination step at a high temperature.

[0008] Furthermore, in the method for producing a lithium solution according to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the method for producing a lithium solution according to the first aspect described above, a configuration is adopted in which the crushing step uses a mechanochemical method by colliding the media against the lithium ore.

[0009] According to the above configuration, by using the mechanochemical method in the pulverization step, α-spodumine becomes more easily soluble in the acid solution compared to when the mechanochemical method is not used, and therefore, a larger amount of lithium can be easily dissolved without performing a calcination step at a high temperature.

[0010] Furthermore, in the method for producing a lithium solution according to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the method for producing a lithium solution according to the first or second aspect described above, a configuration is adopted in which any one of a planetary ball mill, a ball mill, and a vibration mill is used in the pulverization step.

[0011] The device for pulverizing the lithium ore by impacting the media is not limited as long as it can accelerate the media and impact them against the lithium ore, but suitable examples include a ball mill, a planetary ball mill, and a vibration mill.

[0012] Furthermore, in a method for producing a lithium solution according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the method for producing a lithium solution according to any one of the first to third aspects described above, a configuration is adopted in which the acid solution is a sulfuric acid solution.

[0013] As the acid solution for dissolving the lithium compound, a sulfuric acid solution is preferable.

[0014] Furthermore, in a method for producing a lithium solution according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the method for producing a lithium solution according to any one of the first to fourth aspects described above, a configuration is adopted in which, in the dissolving step, a dissolution tank containing the acid solution is sealed, and the sealed dissolution tank is heated.

[0015] According to the above configuration, in the dissolving step, the dissolving tank containing the acid solution is heated, so that the acid solution can be heated while being pressurized, and therefore, more lithium can be dissolved than in the case where the dissolving tank is not pressurized or heated.

[0016] In order to solve the above problems, a lithium solution manufacturing apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention includes a container for accommodating lithium ore containing α-spodumine and media, and includes a crushing unit that crushes the lithium ore by colliding the media against the lithium ore, a dissolution tank that accommodates the lithium ore powder crushed by the crushing unit together with an acid solution, a filling unit that fills the container with the lithium ore, and an injection unit that injects the acid solution into the dissolution tank.

[0017] Furthermore, in the lithium solution manufacturing apparatus according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the lithium solution manufacturing apparatus according to the sixth aspect described above, the crushing unit further includes a drive unit that accelerates the media, and a control unit that controls the drive unit so that a mechanochemical method can be used when the media is collided with the lithium ore.

[0018] Furthermore, in the lithium solution manufacturing apparatus according to the eighth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the lithium solution manufacturing apparatus according to the sixth or seventh aspect described above, the crushing unit is any one of a planetary ball mill, a ball mill, and a vibration mill.

[0019] Furthermore, in the lithium solution manufacturing apparatus according to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the lithium solution manufacturing apparatus according to any one of the sixth to eighth aspects described above, a configuration is adopted in which the acid solution is a sulfuric acid solution.

[0020] Furthermore, in the lithium solution manufacturing apparatus according to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the lithium solution manufacturing apparatus according to any one of the sixth to ninth aspects described above, the dissolution tank is sealable and has a pressure-resistant structure, and further includes a heating unit that heats the dissolution tank.

[0021] The lithium solution manufacturing apparatus according to each of the sixth to tenth aspects of the present invention exhibits the same effects as the lithium solution manufacturing method according to each of the first to fifth aspects of the present invention.

[0022] A part of the lithium solution manufacturing apparatus according to each aspect of the present invention may be realized by a computer. In this case, a program for realizing a part of the lithium solution manufacturing apparatus by a computer by operating the computer as each unit (software element) constituting a part of the lithium solution manufacturing apparatus, and a computer-readable recording medium on which the program is recorded, also fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0023] According to one aspect of the present invention, more lithium can be dissolved without performing a calcination step at high temperatures.

[0024] 1 is a flowchart of a method for producing a lithium solution according to embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a lithium solution production apparatus according to embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing each control block of a control unit provided in the production apparatus shown in FIG.

[0025] [Embodiment 1] A lithium solution manufacturing method M10 according to embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Hereinafter, the lithium solution manufacturing method M10 will also be simply referred to as manufacturing method M10. Fig. 1 is a flowchart of manufacturing method M10.

[0026] Production method M10 is a production method for producing a lithium acid solution using lithium ore containing α-spodumine as a starting material.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1, the manufacturing method M10 includes a pulverizing step S11, a dissolving step S12, a filtering step S13, and a precipitating step S14.

[0028] <Crushing Process> The crushing process S11 is a process of crushing the lithium ore by colliding media against the lithium ore. In this embodiment, a planetary ball mill is used as the crushing unit that crushes the lithium ore with media. However, this crushing unit is not limited to a planetary ball mill, and may be a ball mill or a vibration mill. The configuration of the crushing unit including media will be described later in the section on manufacturing equipment. Note that, although the function of the crushing unit is described here as crushing the lithium ore by colliding media against the lithium ore, it can also be said that the lithium ore sandwiched between two media and between the media and the wall of the crushing unit container is crushed.

[0029] In the pulverization step S11, the instantaneous temperature and pressure applied to the pulverized lithium ore can be increased by adjusting the weight and size of the media that collide with the lithium ore, the acceleration and kinetic energy of the media that collide with the lithium ore, etc. In the pulverization step S11, the lithium ore may be changed or reacted by a mechanochemical method by colliding the media with the lithium ore.

[0030] The change or reaction in the lithium ore referred to here may be any change or reaction that makes the lithium contained in the lithium ore more soluble in an acid solution compared to the state before the change or reaction (i.e., the state of the starting material). The type of grinding unit used in the grinding step S11 and the parameters of the selected grinding unit can be appropriately determined within a range that makes the lithium contained in the lithium ore more soluble in an acid solution compared to lithium ore that has not been subjected to the grinding step S11.

[0031] In the grinding step S11, the revolution speed of the planetary ball mill and the grinding time for which the planetary ball mill is operated are not particularly limited. Examples of revolution speeds include 50 to 500 revolutions per minute, and examples of grinding times include 0.5 to 24 hours. In planetary ball mills, a revolution-rotation ratio, which is the ratio between the revolution speed and the rotation speed, is set. For example, when the revolution-rotation ratio is 1:-1.82, an example of the rotation speed is 91 to 910 revolutions per minute. Because the revolution and rotation directions are opposite to each other, the revolution-rotation ratio has a minus sign.

[0032] <Dissolving Step> The dissolving step S12 is a step of dissolving the lithium ore powder obtained in the crushing step S11 in an acid solution.

[0033] In this embodiment, sulfuric acid (H ２ SO ４ Therefore, by performing the dissolving step S12, an aqueous solution of lithium sulfate is obtained.

[0034] However, the acid solution for dissolving the lithium ore powder is not limited to sulfuric acid, but may be at least one of hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, hydrofluoric acid, hydrobromic acid, and hydroiodic acid, or may be a mixed acid solution obtained by mixing two or more of these acid solutions. An example of such a mixed acid solution is aqua regia, which is obtained by mixing concentrated hydrochloric acid and concentrated nitric acid.

[0035] The pH of the acid solution used in the dissolving step S12 is not limited and can be selected appropriately. When sulfuric acid is used as the acid solution, the pH can be set to 1, for example.

[0036] Furthermore, in the dissolution step S12, it is preferable to heat the acid solution (sulfuric acid solution in this embodiment) when dissolving it. The heating temperature of the acid solution is preferably 100°C or higher, more preferably 200°C or higher, and even more preferably 250°C or higher. In this case, the acid solution is heated to a temperature higher than the boiling point of the acid solution at atmospheric pressure. When the acid solution is heated to a temperature higher than the boiling point, it is preferable to seal the dissolution tank containing the acid solution in the dissolution step S12 and heat the sealed dissolution tank. By sealing the dissolution tank, steam generated by heating is prevented from escaping outside the dissolution tank, and the pressure inside the dissolution tank can be increased. Therefore, the acid solution can be heated under pressure.

[0037] Furthermore, microwave heating is preferably used as a heating method for heating the acid solution in the dissolving step S12. This configuration allows the lithium ore to be dissolved in the acid solution more efficiently than when external heating, such as an oven or furnace, is used as a heating method. In other words, this configuration allows the lithium ore to be dissolved in the acid solution more easily than when external heating, such as an oven or furnace, is used as a heating method.

[0038] The heating time for heating the acid solution in the dissolving step S12 is not particularly limited. Examples of the heating time for the dissolving step S12 include 0.5 hours or more and 5 hours or less.

[0039] As described above, by performing the crushing step S11 and the dissolving step S12, lithium contained in the lithium ore can be dissolved in the acid solution, that is, an acid solution of a salt (in this embodiment, lithium sulfate, which is an example of a sulfate) is obtained.

[0040] <Filtration Step> The filtration step S13 is a step of filtering the acid solution obtained in the dissolving step S12. As described above, the liquid phase obtained by performing the filtration step S13 is an acid solution of a salt. Furthermore, if a solid phase is obtained by performing the filtration step S13, the solid phase is lithium ore that was not completely dissolved in the dissolving step S12.

[0041] <Repeated Pulverization Step, Dissolving Step, and Filtration Step> As described above, it is conceivable that some incompletely dissolved lithium ore remains in the acid solution after the dissolving step S12. In such a case, the pulverization step S11, the dissolving step S12, and the filtration step S13 can be repeatedly performed on the solid phase (i.e., the lithium ore) obtained by performing the filtration step S13. The number of times the pulverization step S11 to the filtration step S13 are repeated is not limited and can be determined as appropriate.

[0042] <Precipitation Step> The precipitation step S14 is a step of precipitating a lithium compound from the liquid phase obtained in the filtration step S13. After the precipitation step S14 is performed, a further filtration step is performed, whereby the lithium dissolved in the liquid phase can be recovered. Note that the further filtration step is not shown in FIG. 1 .

[0043] In the precipitation step S14 of this embodiment, a lithium compound is precipitated from the liquid phase obtained in the filtration step S13 by separating impurities by adjusting the pH of the solution and by using a precipitation reaction by adding a reagent. However, the method for precipitating a lithium compound from the liquid phase obtained in the filtration step S13 is not limited to the above-mentioned method and can be appropriately selected from existing methods.

[0044] [Embodiment 2] A lithium solution manufacturing apparatus 10 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3. Hereinafter, the lithium solution manufacturing apparatus 10 will also be simply referred to as the manufacturing apparatus 10. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the manufacturing apparatus 10. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing each control block of a control unit 18 provided in the manufacturing apparatus 10. Note that Fig. 2 is merely a schematic diagram. Therefore, the shape, size, etc. of each part constituting the manufacturing apparatus 10 are merely schematic.

[0045] The manufacturing apparatus 10 is suitable as a manufacturing apparatus for carrying out the manufacturing method M10 shown in Fig. 1. In this embodiment, the configuration of the manufacturing method M10 will be described while clarifying the correspondence with each step shown in Fig. 1.

[0046] The production apparatus 10 is a production apparatus that produces a lithium acid solution using lithium ore containing α-spodumine as a starting material, similar to production method M10.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 2, the manufacturing apparatus 10 includes a control unit 11 , a feeder 12 , a planetary ball mill 13 , a dissolving tank 14 , a heating unit 16 , and a valve 17 .

[0048] 3, the control unit 11 includes a pulverization control unit 111 and a temperature control unit 112. The pulverization control unit 111 and the temperature control unit 112 are control blocks that respectively control the planetary ball mill 13 and the heating unit 16, which will be described later. The pulverization control unit 111 and the temperature control unit 112 will be described later.

[0049] The control unit 11 may further include a control block that controls each of the feeder 12 and the valve 17, which will be described later.

[0050] The feeder 12 is one aspect of the filling unit. The feeder 12 fills a predetermined amount of lithium ore into the container 131 of the planetary ball mill 13. The feeder 12 is preferably automatically controlled by the control unit 11. However, the feeder 12 may also be manually controlled by an operator.

[0051] The planetary ball mill 13 is one aspect of the grinding unit. In this embodiment, a planetary ball mill is used as the grinding unit. However, the grinding unit may be any grinding unit that can cause media to collide with the starting material. Other examples of the grinding unit include a ball mill and a vibration mill.

[0052] The planetary ball mill 13 includes a container 131, balls 132, and a rotating table 133 (see FIG. 2).

[0053] The container 131 is configured to accommodate the lithium ore as the starting material and the balls 132. The container 131 has a cylindrical side wall and a lower bottom wall and an upper bottom wall that can seal the internal space. The side wall of the container 131 is made of metal or ceramic. In this embodiment, the side wall is made of alumina.

[0054] The balls 132 are one type of media. The balls 132 crush the starting material by colliding with it. The balls 132 are spherical members made of metal or ceramic. In this embodiment, the balls 132 are made of alumina.

[0055] The turntable 133 is an example of a drive unit. The turntable 133 rotates and revolves the container 131 provided on its main surface, thereby accelerating the balls 132 contained inside the container 131 and causing them to collide with the starting material. In other words, the turntable 133 rotates and revolves the container 131, causing the balls 132 to collide with each other and with the side wall of the container 131. At this time, the starting material contained in the container 131 together with the balls 132 is crushed by being pinched between the colliding balls 132 and between the balls 132 and the side wall of the container 131.

[0056] The rotation speed and revolution speed of the container 131 on the turntable 133 are controlled by a control signal SC1 generated by a pulverization control unit 111 of the control unit 11. The pulverization control unit 111 shown in Fig. 3 controls the turntable 133 so that the mechanochemical method can be used when the balls 132 are collided with the starting material.

[0057] The planetary ball mill 13 carries out the pulverization step S11 in the manufacturing method M10. The powder of the starting material obtained by the planetary ball mill 13 carrying out the pulverization step S11 is filled into the dissolution tank 14.

[0058] The dissolution tank 14 is configured to accommodate the above-described starting material powder together with an acid solution (sulfuric acid solution in this embodiment). The dissolution tank 14 is provided with a heating unit 16 and a valve 17 (see FIG. 2). The valve 17 is an example of an injection unit. The valve 17 injects a predetermined amount of acid solution into the dissolution tank 14. The valve 17 is preferably automatically controlled by the control unit 11. However, the valve 17 may also be manually controlled by an operator.

[0059] The dissolving tank 14 is preferably configured to be sealable. Furthermore, the dissolving tank 14 is preferably configured to withstand a predetermined temperature. Furthermore, the dissolving tank 14 preferably has a pressure-resistant structure so as to withstand a predetermined pressure. The predetermined temperature is preferably 100°C or higher, more preferably 200°C or higher, and even more preferably 250°C or higher. In this embodiment, the temperatures of the starting materials and the acid solution contained inside the dissolving tank 14 are considered to be the same as the temperature of the dissolving tank 14. In this embodiment, the dissolving tank 14 containing the starting material powders and the acid solution is heated in a sealed state.

[0060] The heating unit 16 heats the dissolving tank 14 so that the temperature of the dissolving tank 14 reaches a predetermined temperature or exceeds the predetermined temperature. In this embodiment, the heating unit 16 includes a microwave generator 161 and a waveguide 162 (see FIG. 2). The microwave generator 161 is controlled by a control signal SC2 generated by the temperature control unit 112 of the control unit 11. The heating time for heating the dissolving tank 14 to the predetermined temperature is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, the heating time is set to one hour.

[0061] The microwave generating unit 161 is configured to generate electromagnetic waves having a predetermined frequency. The predetermined frequency can be selected appropriately within the microwave band, for example, but in this embodiment, the predetermined frequency is set to 2.45 GHz.

[0062] The waveguide 162 is a cylindrical metal member, one end of which is connected to the microwave generator 161 and the other end of which is connected to the dissolving tank 14. The waveguide 162 guides the electromagnetic waves generated by the microwave generator 161 from one end to the other end, and radiates the electromagnetic waves from the other end into the internal space of the dissolving tank 14.

[0063] The dissolution tank 14 performs the dissolution step S12 in the manufacturing method M10. In the dissolution step S12, the dissolution tank 14 containing the starting material powder and the acid solution is sealed. Then, the temperature control unit 112 controls the microwave generation unit 161 of the heating unit 16, causing the heating unit 16 to heat the sealed dissolution tank 14. Therefore, the pressure inside the dissolution tank 14 becomes equal to or higher than atmospheric pressure.

[0064] In this embodiment, the configuration of the apparatus for performing the filtering step S13 and the precipitating step S14 in the manufacturing method M10 will not be described.

[0065] [Example of Implementation by Software] The functions of the manufacturing apparatus 10 (hereinafter referred to as "apparatus") shown in FIG. 2 can be realized by a program that causes a computer to function as the apparatus, and a program that causes a computer to function as each control block of the apparatus (particularly each unit included in the control unit 11 shown in FIG. 3).

[0066] In this case, the device includes a computer having at least one control device (e.g., a processor) and at least one storage device (e.g., a memory) as hardware for executing the program. The functions described in each of the above embodiments are realized by executing the program using the control device and storage device.

[0067] The program may be non-transitory and may be recorded on one or more computer-readable recording media. The recording media may or may not be included in the device. In the latter case, the program may be supplied to the device via any wired or wireless transmission medium.

[0068] Furthermore, some or all of the functions of the control blocks can be realized by logic circuits. For example, an integrated circuit in which a logic circuit that functions as each of the control blocks is formed is also included in the scope of the present invention. In addition, the functions of the control blocks can also be realized by, for example, a quantum computer.

[0069] [Additional Notes] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0070] Example 1 of the present invention will be described below. Example 1 is an example of the manufacturing method M10 according to the first embodiment.

[0071] In Example 1, lithium concentrate that had been subjected to a mining and ore-dressing process was used as the starting lithium ore. In Example 1, a planetary ball mill was used as the grinding method in the grinding step S11. The balls used in the planetary ball mill were made of alumina, had an average diameter of 10 mm, and an average weight of approximately 2 g. The revolution speeds of the planetary ball mill were 100 rpm, 200 rpm, and 300 rpm. When the rotation speed was 100 rpm, a grinding time of 120 hours was used, and when the rotation speed was 200 rpm and 300 rpm, a grinding time of 5 hours was used. Microwave heating was used as the heating method in the dissolving step S12, with a heating temperature of 250°C and a heating time of 1 hour. A sulfuric acid solution with a concentration of 20% was used as the acid solution in the dissolving step S12.

[0072] A comparative example of Example 1 was prepared by using the same lithium ore as in Example 1 as the starting material, omitting the crushing step S11 and carrying out only the dissolving step S12.

[0073] In the comparative example, the solubility of lithium in the sulfuric acid solution was 74%.

[0074] On the other hand, when the revolution speed of the planetary ball mill was 100 rpm and the milling time was 120 hours, the solubility of lithium in the sulfuric acid solution was 72%. When the revolution speed of the planetary ball mill was 200 rpm and 300 rpm and the milling time was 5 hours, the solubility of lithium in the sulfuric acid solution was 90% and 98%, respectively.

[0075] From the above results, it was found that when the revolution speed of the planetary ball mill was set to 200 revolutions per minute or 300 revolutions per minute and the grinding time was set to 5 hours, the solubility exceeded that of the comparative example.

[0076] Example 2 of the present invention will be described below. Example 2 is a modified example of the manufacturing method M10 according to the first embodiment.

[0077] In Example 2, as in Example 1, lithium concentrate that had been subjected to a mining and ore-dressing process was used as the starting lithium ore. Furthermore, in Example 2, a vibration mill was used instead of a planetary ball mill as the milling method used in the milling step S11. Furthermore, carbon steel balls with an average diameter of 12.7 mm and an average weight of approximately 8 g were used for the vibration mill. The milling times in the vibration mill were 0.5 hours, 1 hour, 3 hours, and 5 hours. Furthermore, the melting step S12 in Example 2 was the same as the melting step S12 in Example 1.

[0078] Similarly to the comparative example for Example 1, the same lithium ore as in Example 1 was used as a starting material, and the crushing step S11 was omitted, and only the dissolving step S12 was carried out, which was used as the comparative example for Example 2. The comparative example for Example 2 is the same as the comparative example for Example 1.

[0079] As described above, in the comparative example, the solubility of lithium in the sulfuric acid solution was 74%.

[0080] On the other hand, when the grinding time in the vibration mill was 0.5 hours, 1 hour, 3 hours, and 5 hours, the solubility of lithium in the sulfuric acid solution was 70%, 78%, 88%, and 86%, respectively.

[0081] From the above results, it was found that when the grinding time in the vibration mill was 1 hour, 3 hours, and 5 hours, the solubility exceeded that of the comparative example.

[0082] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Lithium solution manufacturing apparatus 11 Control unit 111 Grinding control unit 112 Temperature control unit 12 Feeder (filling unit) 13 Planetary ball mill (grinding unit) 131 Container 132 Ball (media) 133 Rotary table (driving unit) 14 Dissolving tank 16 Heating unit 161 Microwave generating unit 162 Waveguide 17 Valve (injection unit)

Claims

1. A method for producing a lithium solution, comprising: a grinding step of grinding lithium ore containing α-spodumene by colliding media against the lithium ore; and a dissolving step of dissolving the lithium ore powder obtained by the grinding step in an acid solution.

2. The method for producing a lithium solution according to claim 1, characterized in that the crushing step uses a mechanochemical method by colliding the media against the lithium ore.

3. The method for producing a lithium solution according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the grinding step uses any one of a planetary ball mill, a ball mill, and a vibration mill.

4. The method for producing a lithium solution according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the acid solution is a sulfuric acid solution.

5. The method for producing a lithium solution according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that in the dissolving step, the dissolving tank containing the acid solution is sealed and the sealed dissolving tank is heated.

6. An apparatus for producing a lithium solution comprising: a container for containing lithium ore containing α-spodumene and media, and a crushing section for crushing the lithium ore by colliding the media against the lithium ore; a dissolution tank for containing the lithium ore powder crushed by the crushing section together with an acid solution; a filling section for filling the container with the lithium ore; and an injection section for injecting the acid solution into the dissolution tank.

7. The lithium solution manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the crushing unit further comprises a drive unit for accelerating the media, and a control unit for controlling the drive unit so that a mechanochemical method can be used when the media is collided against the lithium ore.

8. The lithium solution manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the grinding unit is any one of a planetary ball mill, a ball mill, and a vibration mill.

9. The lithium solution manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the acid solution is a sulfuric acid solution.

10. The lithium solution manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that the dissolution tank is sealable and has a pressure-resistant structure, and further comprises a heating unit for heating the dissolution tank.

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