How to Choose Spodumene?

Spodumene ore is a lithium-containing mineral and is one of the important lithium sources. It is a lithium-containing pyroxene mineral with the chemical formula LiAl(Si2O6). Spodumene is the main ore of lithium, and its high lithium content makes it a valuable resource for lithium extraction. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the beneficiation method of spodumene. The following will introduce you to several commonly used lithium ore spodumene beneficiation methods, and what factors should be considered when choosing a suitable beneficiation method.

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01Commonly used lithium ore spodumene beneficiation methods

According to the different components of spodumene ore, the beneficiation method chosen in actual production is also different. The spodumene separation methods commonly used in ore dressing mainly include gravity separation, foam flotation, magnetic separation, dense medium separation and heat treatment.

1. Gravity separation method: This method utilizes the difference in specific gravity between spodumene and gangue minerals. Commonly used dense media separation and gravity separation methods can separate spodumene from gangue minerals.

2. Froth flotation method: Froth flotation is a method widely used in spodumene ore concentration. In this process, the ore is ground to fine particles and mixed with water and flotation reagents. By introducing air bubbles into the flotation cell, hydrophobic spodumene particles will attach to the bubbles and rise to the liquid surface for collection.

3. Magnetic separation: Magnetic separation is used to remove iron-containing minerals or impurities from spodumene ore. This method uses the magnetic properties of specific minerals to separate them from non-magnetic gangue minerals.

4. Dense medium separation method: The dense medium separation method is to suspend the crushed ore in a dense medium (such as iron-silicon or magnetite) and separate it according to the density of the mineral. Since spodumene is a heavy mineral, this method can be used to separate it from the lighter gangue minerals.

5. Heat treatment method: Some spodumene ores can be calcined or roasted to improve the extraction efficiency of lithium. These processes help modify the mineral structure and increase the accessibility of lithium in subsequent processing steps.

02How to choose the right spodumene beneficiation method?

The choice of a particular spodumene beneficiation method may depend on a variety of factors, including the mineralogical characteristics of the ore, lithium grade, impurity levels, and desired lithium concentration requirements. Additionally, ongoing research and development in the field of lithium extraction may introduce new beneficiation methods.

Therefore, choosing the right spodumene ore beneficiation method involves considering several factors. Here are some key considerations:

1. Ore characteristics: conduct a comprehensive characteristic analysis of spodumene ore, including mineralogy, lithology, chemical composition and beneficiation tests. Determine lithium grade, impurity levels, and presence of other valuable minerals. This information will assist in selecting the appropriate beneficiation method.

2. Lithium recovery: Evaluate the efficiency of different beneficiation methods in terms of lithium recovery. Consider potential losses and overall extraction efficiency. The goal is to maximize lithium recovery while reducing waste of resources.

3. Cost analysis: Evaluate the costs involved in each beneficiation method, including equipment, energy consumption, reagents, labor and maintenance costs. Consider the capital investment and operating expenses required to implement each approach. Choose a method that offers a good balance between cost-effectiveness and lithium recovery.

4. Environmental impact: Evaluate the impact of each beneficiation method on the environment. Consider potential impacts on water use, waste generation, emissions and disturbance to ecosystems. Choose methods that reduce environmental damage and adhere to sustainable practices.

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5. Scale of operation: Consider the scale of operation and required production capacity. Certain beneficiation methods may be more suitable for small-scale operations, while others may be more suitable for large-scale industrial production.

6. Process efficiency: Evaluate the throughput, processing time and ability to process different ore qualities for each beneficiation method. Choose a method that offers high process efficiency and is able to efficiently process different ore types.

7. Technical expertise and infrastructure: Consider the technical expertise and availability of existing infrastructure required to implement the selected beneficiation method. Assess required skills, equipment availability, and compatibility of the chosen method with existing treatment facilities.

Lithium is known as "the new energy metal of the 21st century". Today, the demand for lithium resources is still increasing. Lithium is currently mainly derived from lithium ore. The main lithium-containing minerals in lithium ore are spodumene, lepidolite, lepidolite, lepidolite and lepidolite. Among them, spodumene is an important lithium mineral resource.

At present, the beneficiation processes of spodumene mainly include: manual separation, magnetic separation, flotation and combined beneficiation. Among them, the flotation separation process is the most frequently used and widely used. In the flotation separation technology, the focus is on the choice of flotation reagents. The commonly used flotation reagents for spodumene are mainly collectors and regulators.

01Collector for spodumene flotation

Single collector

Single collectors are mostly used in laboratory research. Spodumene ore flotation is currently mainly divided into two processes: reverse flotation cationic collector and positive flotation anionic collector. Common reverse flotation cationic collectors are amine collectors, and the most commonly used is dodecylamine. Such agents can reverse flotation of gangue minerals such as quartz and mica in acid slurry. This method is mainly suitable for rough selection operations. But the application is not universal. The anionic collectors of traditional positive flotation spodumene are mostly fatty acid and its soap collectors, such as oleic acid, sodium oleate, naphthenic acid soap, oxidized paraffin soap, etc. The advantages of this type of collector are wide range of use, low price and strong collection ability. Its disadvantages are poor selectivity, sensitivity to temperature, intolerant of hard water, and significant fluctuations in mineral processing indexes.

Combined collector

The use of combined collectors can usually play a synergistic effect of multiple agents, so as to obtain the ideal flotation separation index. A domestic spodumene ore was treated with sodium oleate + oxidized paraffin soap as a combined collector, and a spodumene concentrate with a Li 2 O grade of 6% and an operating recovery rate of 62% was obtained. In the case of using oxidized paraffin soap + oximic acid as the combined collector, the raw ore with a Li2O grade of 1.25% was flotated to obtain a concentrate with a Li2O grade of 6.21% and a recovery rate of 76.30%. The use of combined collectors can significantly improve the mineral flotation separation effect and reduce the dosage of chemicals, thereby significantly improving the economic benefits of the enterprise.

New-type collector

In recent years, new and efficient collectors for spodumene flotation have emerged. Most of the high-efficiency collectors developed for spodumene flotation are chelating collectors. Although it has the characteristics of good selectivity and excellent performance, the price is generally high. In practical production applications, its promotion has certain difficulties.

02Spodumene flotation regulator

Spodumene ore flotation regulators are mainly "three alkalis", namely Na2CO3, NaOH, Na2S and CaCl2.

Activation effect of regulator and metal ions: The hydroxyl complexes generated by metal ions under neutral or weak alkaline conditions have high adsorption, which can greatly improve the collection ability of minerals, thereby improving the flotation effect.

The effect of regulators and traditional inhibitors: when calcium chloride, sodium carbonate, sodium hydroxide and other alkaline regulators are added, the sludge composed of silicate minerals in the pulp will react with alkali to form a certain amount of sodium silicate . It is an inorganic inhibitor by itself and has the same effect on flotation as the addition of traditional inhibitors. Therefore, inorganic inhibitors are not deliberately added in flotation practice.

Effects of modifiers and new inhibitors: among the new inhibitors, citric acid and lactic acid have weak selectivity for the inhibition of spodumene and beryl. Tartaric acid and oxalic acid were highly inhibitory to the two minerals, but were not selective. Na2S, sodium hexametaphosphate and disodium EDTA have strong inhibition and selectivity. Among them, the selective inhibition of spodumene by disodium EDTA is better.