Application of Vacuum Belt Filter in Lithium Extraction From Salt Lake

Lithium extraction from salt lakes is a process of extracting lithium resources from lithium-rich salt lake brine. Due to the key position of lithium in new energy batteries, especially the widespread application of lithium batteries, lithium extraction from salt lakes occupies an important position in global lithium resource mining. After a series of chemical treatments, efficient solid-liquid separation equipment is required for dehydration and filtration to obtain lithium-containing filtrate or solid lithium compounds. Vacuum belt filters are widely used in the process of lithium extraction from salt lakes, mainly in the solid-liquid separation link.

What is Lithium Extraction From Salt Lakes?

Lithium extraction from salt lakes involves extracting lithium resources from lithium-rich salt lake brine. The following are the basic steps for lithium extraction from salt lakes.

Brine collection: extract brine containing lithium ions from salt lakes.

Concentration and enrichment: increase the lithium concentration in brine through natural evaporation or concentration equipment.

Impurity removal: remove impurities such as calcium and magnesium in brine through chemical reactions or ion exchange to ensure the purity of lithium.

Precipitation extraction: commonly used precipitation methods, such as sodium carbonate precipitation, precipitate lithium from brine in the form of lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide.

Solid-liquid separation: separate lithium compounds from liquids through filtering equipment such as vacuum belt filters.

Product processing: finally, the extracted lithium compounds are dried and purified, and other treatments are performed to obtain industrial-grade or battery-grade lithium products.

The Specific Application Process of Vacuum Belt Filter

Pretreatment: The brine or slurry extracted from the salt lake is first pretreated, which may include concentration, chemical precipitation, and other steps to enrich lithium ions.

Solid-liquid separation: The pretreated lithium slurry is sent to the vacuum belt filter, and the lithium in the filtrate is further extracted and processed, while the filtered solid is used as waste or reprocessing material.

Washing and drying: In some processes, the vacuum belt filter can also wash while filtering to further remove residual impurities and ensure the purity of the filter cake.

Advantages of Vacuum Belt Filter

Efficient solid-liquid separation: In the process of lithium extraction from salt lakes, a large amount of suspension and slurry are often involved. The vacuum belt filter can quickly and efficiently separate the liquid phase from the solid phase to obtain the required lithium product.
Continuous operation: The vacuum belt filter can achieve continuous operation, which is suitable for large-scale industrial production and can increase the output in the process of lithium extraction from salt lakes.
Strong adaptability: In the face of complex process conditions in the process of lithium extraction from salt lakes (such as highly corrosive brine, high temperature, or slurry with more impurities), the vacuum belt filter can be adjusted through material selection and structural design to improve the corrosion resistance and adaptability of the equipment.
Automatic control: The vacuum belt filter can integrate an automated control system to achieve precise control of the filtration process and reduce human intervention.
High efficiency: Compared with traditional intermittent filtration equipment, the vacuum belt filter has higher operating efficiency and is particularly suitable for processes with high energy efficiency requirements, such as lithium extraction from salt lakes.

Conclusion

In general, the application of a vacuum belt filter in lithium extraction from salt lakes has greatly improved the process efficiency and economic benefits and is one of the key equipment in the process.

Application of Vacuum Belt Filter in Lithium Extraction From Salt Lake