Lithium extraction from a cookeite-bearing bauxite using mixed chloride roast-leaching: Geochemical characterization and process optimization

Abstract

Lithium-rich clay deposits have emerged as critical resources for securing a sustainable lithium supply in the context of accelerating clean energy development. This article presents a thorough characterization and Li extraction study of the newly discovered lithium-bearing bauxite deposit of the Reasi district of Jammu, India. The XRD patterns confirmed the presence of cookeite as the Li-bearing mineral, with other major associated minerals being kaolinite, oolite, chlorite, anatage, boehmite, and diaspore. The SEM-EDS data provided insight into the distribution of major elements in different zones of the oolitic pisolitic structure, while the results from LA-ICP-MS confirmed the fine-grained distribution of Li inside kaolinite and bauxite matrix. The route of chloridizing roasting followed by water leaching was employed for Li extraction from this clay ore, where the efficacies of various chloride salts and their combinations were compared. While KCl, as the single additive, stood apart from all other chlorides, yielding over 83% and 99% Li 2 O recoveries, at the additive-to-ore ratios of 1:1 and 2:1, at a roasting temperature 800 degrees C and time of 2 h, the mixture of NaCl and KCl showed a promising response of 99% Li 2 O recovery at optimal roasting conditions of a temperature of 800 degrees C, a period of 1 h and an additive-to-ore ratio of 2.92 and NaCl-to-KCl ratio of 2.21. The statistical analyses, employing RSM, identified the additive-to-ore ratio as the most influential factor, with the NaCl-to-KCl ratio and time following at significantly lower levels of influence, respectively.