Lithium Brine Evaporation Impurity Separator
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for extracting lithium from brines result in significant lithium losses due to co-precipitation with impurity ions, and current processes have a high environmental footprint and require substantial water and energy resources.
Innovation Solution
A system involving a sequence of solar evaporation ponds with a separator to remove impurities from the brine, allowing for the recycling of impurities and reducing lithium co-precipitation losses, thereby increasing lithium recovery and reducing environmental impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If solar evaporation ponds are used to concentrate lithium from brines, then lithium concentration increases, but lithium co-precipitation losses occur due to impurity ions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes specific impurity ions (such as calcium, magnesium, sulfate, or carbonate) from the brine before the evaporation concentration process. This is achieved through chemical precipitation, ion exchange, or selective filtration methods that target and remove the problematic ions that would otherwise cause lithium co-precipitation, thereby allowing high lithium concentration without significant losses.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary treatment steps to the brine before evaporation concentration to prevent lithium co-precipitation. This includes adjusting pH, adding selective precipitants, or using membrane filtration to remove impurity ions in advance, so that when evaporation occurs, lithium can be concentrated without forming co-precipitates with impurities.
2Productivity
If large solar evaporation ponds are used for lithium extraction, then lithium recovery is possible, but environmental footprint increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes specific impurity ions (such as calcium, magnesium, sulfate, or carbonate) from the brine before the evaporation concentration process. This is achieved through chemical precipitation, ion exchange, or selective filtration methods that target and remove the problematic ions that would otherwise cause lithium co-precipitation, thereby allowing high lithium concentration without significant losses.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary treatment steps to the brine before evaporation concentration to prevent lithium co-precipitation. This includes adjusting pH, adding selective precipitants, or using membrane filtration to remove impurity ions in advance, so that when evaporation occurs, lithium can be concentrated without forming co-precipitates with impurities.
3Quantity of substance
If nanofiltration or reverse osmosis is used to separate lithium from brine, then lithium can be concentrated, but water resources are consumed and energy requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the brine, such as pH, ionic strength, or chemical composition, to selectively precipitate or remove impurity ions. This allows lithium to be concentrated through simple evaporation or filtration without requiring high-energy processes like reverse osmosis, thereby reducing both energy consumption and fresh water usage.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system achieves a 40-70% increase in lithium recovery with reduced energy and water usage, minimizing lithium losses and environmental impact by treating only a small portion of the brine flow.
Implementation Method 1
Existing methods and systems for extracting lithium from brines are based on solar evaporation/concentration processes
Implementation Method 2
separating at least a portion of the brine at a brine removal location to obtain a removed brine and transmitting the removed brine through a separator such that one or more impurities are separated from lithium
Implementation Method 3
recycling at least a portion of the one or more impurities back to the sequence of evaporation ponds through a conduit
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods using solar evaporation to preconcentrate lithium containing brines to at or near lithium saturation, followed by a separation processes to separate lithium from impurities. A separated impurity stream is recycled to a point in the evaporation sequence where conditions are favorable for their precipitation and removal or disposed in a separate evaporation pond or reinjected underground, while a lower impurity stream is transferred to one or more of the removal location, to a subsequent pond in the sequence, or to a lithium plant or concentration facility. Further concentration of lithium by evaporation can then take place because impurities are removed thus eliminating lithium losses due to co-precipitation and achieving significantly higher concentrations of lithium.