Improvement of lithium extraction technology from lepidolite -Lithium - Ion Battery Equipment
Industry insiders believe that the technical barriers to lithium extraction from lepidolite have been resolved and it has become competitive. After 2018, it will become an important source of lithium carbonate supply.
In the current supply pattern of lithium resources, the amount of lithium extracted from spodumene tends to be determined, and the extraction of lithium from lepidolite and the extraction of lithium from salt lakes have become important variables.
At this stage, the technical problems of lithium extraction from lepidolite have been basically solved, and on the other hand, the cost of lithium extraction can compete with spodumene extraction. Resource replenisher role.
Yield
In 2018, the output is expected to be nearly 20,000 tons, and the volume will be further accelerated in the future. At present, companies including Jiangte Motor, Nanshi Group, Hezong Lithium and other companies are in continuous operation, and Yongxing New Energy, Dow Technology, Jiuling New Energy and other companies also have new production capacity that will be put into operation one after another.
According to estimates, by the end of 2018, the output of lithium extraction from lepidolite will exceed 50,000 tons, and the planned output in the future will exceed 150,000 tons. The annual output of lithium carbonate will reach about 18,000 tons in 2018, and the output will be conservatively estimated at 60,000 tons by 2020.(Lithium - Ion Battery Equipment)
On the raw material side, both Yichun Tantalum and Niobium Mine and Yichun Mining Company currently have a mining and dressing scale of 1.3-1.5 million tons of raw ore, which basically corresponds to the raw material demand of 20,000-30,000 tons of lithium carbonate equivalent, and the mining and dressing scale will double in the future.
cost
The cost of lepidolite raw materials is lower, and the total cost of lithium extraction can compete with spodumene. Even if the lepidolite concentrate is directly purchased, according to different tastes, it takes about 14-20 tons of lepidolite concentrate to produce one ton of lithium carbonate. According to the price of 1500-2000 yuan/ton of lepidolite concentrate, the cost of raw materials is 25,000-40,000 yuan. According to the split, the cost of lepidolite to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate is 70,555 yuan/ton, which is basically the same as the level of imported lithium concentrate. The final cost can compete with the integrated spodumene extraction of lithium, reaching per ton of carbonic acid. Lithium is about 40,000 yuan.
technical aspects
After the technological transformation, the technological maturity has been improved, and many companies have already passed through. On June 22, Zhu Jun, chairman and general manager of Jiangte Motor, said that the company built a 10,000-ton lepidolite production line for lithium carbonate production, and the production equipment was installed and commissioned smoothly. It is expected to start trial production around July.
At present, there are two main types of processes used in the lepidolite production line for lithium extraction: one is acid roasting, and the other is salt roasting, in which auxiliary materials are the key.
At present, various companies have effectively solved the problems such as fluorine removal, low yield, and waste residue treatment through several technical transformations, and important technical obstacles have been cleared. And now the price difference between lithium carbonate industrial grade and battery grade has a tendency to shrink, indicating that the products produced by salt lake and mica can be directly or purified to be applied to downstream power lithium battery products.
In the current supply pattern of lithium resources, the amount of lithium extracted from spodumene tends to be determined, and the extraction of lithium from lepidolite and the extraction of lithium from salt lakes have become important variables.
At this stage, the technical problems of lithium extraction from lepidolite have been basically solved, and on the other hand, the cost of lithium extraction can compete with spodumene extraction. Resource replenisher role.
Yield
In 2018, the output is expected to be nearly 20,000 tons, and the volume will be further accelerated in the future. At present, companies including Jiangte Motor, Nanshi Group, Hezong Lithium and other companies are in continuous operation, and Yongxing New Energy, Dow Technology, Jiuling New Energy and other companies also have new production capacity that will be put into operation one after another.
According to estimates, by the end of 2018, the output of lithium extraction from lepidolite will exceed 50,000 tons, and the planned output in the future will exceed 150,000 tons. The annual output of lithium carbonate will reach about 18,000 tons in 2018, and the output will be conservatively estimated at 60,000 tons by 2020.(Lithium - Ion Battery Equipment)
On the raw material side, both Yichun Tantalum and Niobium Mine and Yichun Mining Company currently have a mining and dressing scale of 1.3-1.5 million tons of raw ore, which basically corresponds to the raw material demand of 20,000-30,000 tons of lithium carbonate equivalent, and the mining and dressing scale will double in the future.
cost
The cost of lepidolite raw materials is lower, and the total cost of lithium extraction can compete with spodumene. Even if the lepidolite concentrate is directly purchased, according to different tastes, it takes about 14-20 tons of lepidolite concentrate to produce one ton of lithium carbonate. According to the price of 1500-2000 yuan/ton of lepidolite concentrate, the cost of raw materials is 25,000-40,000 yuan. According to the split, the cost of lepidolite to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate is 70,555 yuan/ton, which is basically the same as the level of imported lithium concentrate. The final cost can compete with the integrated spodumene extraction of lithium, reaching per ton of carbonic acid. Lithium is about 40,000 yuan.
technical aspects
After the technological transformation, the technological maturity has been improved, and many companies have already passed through. On June 22, Zhu Jun, chairman and general manager of Jiangte Motor, said that the company built a 10,000-ton lepidolite production line for lithium carbonate production, and the production equipment was installed and commissioned smoothly. It is expected to start trial production around July.
At present, there are two main types of processes used in the lepidolite production line for lithium extraction: one is acid roasting, and the other is salt roasting, in which auxiliary materials are the key.
At present, various companies have effectively solved the problems such as fluorine removal, low yield, and waste residue treatment through several technical transformations, and important technical obstacles have been cleared. And now the price difference between lithium carbonate industrial grade and battery grade has a tendency to shrink, indicating that the products produced by salt lake and mica can be directly or purified to be applied to downstream power lithium battery products.
