Extraction of lithium from β-spodumene using chlorination roasting with calcium chloride

Chlorination roasting was used to extract lithium as lithium chloride from beta-spodumene. The roasting was carried out in a fixed bed reactor using calcium chloride as chlorinating agent. The mineral was mixed with CaCl2 on a molar ratio of 1:2. Reaction temperature and time were investigated. The reactants and roasted materials were characterized by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). The mineral starts to react with CaCl2 at around 700 degrees C. The optimal conditions of lithium extraction were found to be 900 degrees C and 120 min of chlorination roasting, under which it is attained a conversion degree of 90.2%. The characterization results indicate that the major phases present in the chlorinating roasting residue are CaAl2Si2O8, SiO2, and CaSiO3. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.