METHOD OF LITHIUM CONCENTRATE PROCESSING Russian patent published in 2015 - IPC C22B26/12 C22B3/08 

FIELD: metallurgy.

SUBSTANCE: method includes concentrate sulphating by sulphuric acid, leaching of the sulphated concentrate, leached pulp separation to sulphate solution and insoluble cake. After cake washing its drying is performed. Then charge out of dry cake with lithium, potassium, sodium carbonates, magnesium, calcium, titanium, zinc oxides, trivalent chrome and cryolite is prepared. The charge is melted, produced melt is poured in the mould, cooled, moulding is removed and heat treated with ceramised glass creation. As the initial feed the lepidolite concentrate is used, it is sulphated at 95÷100°C for 4-6 minutes. During charge making out of dry cake with carbonates, oxides and cryolite the lithium carbonate and potassium carbonate consumption is 11.1÷11.3 wt % and 4.2÷4.3 wt %, respectively.

EFFECT: complete extraction of lithium and potassium to target products and decreased energy consumption due to decreasing of decrepitation time and chemical consumption.

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