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Leaching Behaviors of Lithium-Rich Bauxite Flotation Tailings in Sodium Bicarbonate Solution

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Abstract

Multi-channel exploitation and utilization of lithium-bearing resources may be the future sustainable development trend of the lithium industry. Lithium-rich bauxite flotation tailings are a potential lithium resource. This study proposed a green and effective lithium extraction process employing sodium bicarbonate solutions to leach lithium-rich bauxite flotation tailings. 91.75% of lithium could be leached over a time of 60 min using a 300 g/L sodium bicarbonate solution at 280 °C with a liquid–solid ratio of 10. Notably, potassium’s leaching efficiency was lower than lithium’s, whereas other elements, such as aluminum and silicon, were difficult to leach. Furthermore, the experimental results verify the results of the thermodynamic analysis. The leaching mechanism of lithium and potassium in sodium bicarbonate solution is that sodium ions in the sodium bicarbonate solution substituted Li+ of cookeite and K+ of illite, respectively. Thus, this research could provide a new way to efficiently and economically utilize clay-rich lithium resources.

Graphical Abstract

The mechanism of leaching lithium and potassium from tailings was considered to involve the ion-substitution reaction. Sodium ion in the sodium bicarbonate solution substituted Li+ of cookeite and K+ of illite, respectively.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank AiMi Academic Services (www.aimieditor.com) for English language editing and review services.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program (No. 2022YFC3900902).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China

    Dong-zhan Han, Lei-ting Shen & Zhi-hong Peng

  2. Zhengzhou Non-Ferrous Metals Research Institute Co. Ltd. of CHALCO, Zhengzhou, 450041, China

    Dong-zhan Han

  3. University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bei**g, 100049, China

    Er-wei Song

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  1. Dong-zhan Han
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Correspondence to Zhi-hong Peng.

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The contributing editor for this article was Atsushi Shibayama.

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Han, Dz., Shen, Lt., Song, Ew. et al. Leaching Behaviors of Lithium-Rich Bauxite Flotation Tailings in Sodium Bicarbonate Solution. J. Sustain. Metall. 10, 241–249 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40831-024-00787-5

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