Processing Spodumene by Froth Flotation For Lithium Extraction

12/24/2017 Processing Spodumene by Froth Flotation for Lithium Extraction
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Processing Spodumene by Froth Flotation for Lithium Extraction
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Spodumene theoretically contains 8.03% Li2O and therefore the

Metallurgical Content
production of this mineral is greatly increasing because of the
expanded use of lithium in the manufacture of high temperature The Lithium Ore Flowsheet
insoluble lubricants, ceramics, pyrotechnics, non-ferrous welding Crushing
uxes, air purifying agents, and hydrogen isotopes. Grinding and Classi cation
Conditioning
Extracting Lithium from its Ore Lithium Ore (Spodumene) Flotation
Roughing and Cleaning
Final Cleaning
The problems of spodumene mineral dressing depend on the Filtering-Drying
amount of ore deposit, weathering and presence of associated Lithium Sector Report
gangue minerals. Weathered mineral surfaces must be Spodumene Extraction
thoroughly cleaned for selective otation. Slimes interfere with Spodumene Market Speci cations
selective otation and also consume expensive reagents. Production Problems
Therefore, the slimes must be eliminated prior to conditioning Reagent Combination
and otation. Concentrates should be about 6.00% Li2O.
The selective separation of gangue minerals requires acid proof equipment, which is described more fully
in Flowsheet Study on Feldspar.
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The Lithium Ore Flowsheet
Fatty acid or soap otation of spodumene is one well established recovery method, but pulverized or
ground particle surface conditions generally necessitate pre- otation treatment. This involves high density
agitation with cleaning agents such as sodium silico uoride, trisodium phosphate, or sodium sulphide with
sodium hydroxide. The pulp is then deslimed.
Agitation with anionic collectors, followed by otation, will often result in satisfactory spodumene
concentration when the spodumene is to be oated. Oleic acids and soaps work well in neutral and
slightly alkaline pulps, while naphthenic acids, sulphonated castor oil, etc., work best in an acid pulp.
The owsheet shown is based on recommendations which involve the froth removal of gangue minerals in
an alkaline circuit with an amine collector. The spodumene is depressed with dextrine and removed as a
high grade concentrate. Since this method is selective for the separation of mica, feldspar, and quartz, it
solves the problem of marketing all possible products.
A Mineral Jig is included to recover a heavy +

mineral concentrate.
Crushing
Mine run ore is usually bulky to avoid nes and

de nitely requires a rail grizzly to limit the size
of coarse ore fed to the jaw crusher. Two stage,
open circuit crushing is satisfactory in the 200
ton per 8 hour production range. The resulting
ne ore is smaller than ½” or ¾”.
A stationary grizzly, set at approximately 1½”

opening, removes undersize from the primary
jaw crusher feed. A Vibrating Screen removes the http://geology.com/minerals/spodumene.shtml
undersize from the secondary crusher feed.
Removal of undersize reduces the amount of
resulting nes and increases the capacity of the equipment.
Grinding and Classification
The Steel Head Rod Mill has proven extremely satisfactory for grinding such pegmatitic mineral as feldspar
and spodumene. The grinding circuit should have a controlled feed rate which is accomplished with a
Adjustable Stroke or variable-speed Belt Feeder. Suf cient ne ore-bin storage should be available for at
least one day capacity, and preferably more storage should be available.
The pre- otation treatment generally begins at the rod-mill. A cleaning agent such as sodium
silico uoride, trisodium phosphate, or sodium sulphide with sodium hydroxide is added with the ne
crushed ore to the rod mill and grinding is accomplished with a dilute pulp (25-35% solids). A Spiral
Screen on the rod mill discharge eliminates tramp oversize from the grinding circuit, which is closed with
a Vertical Centrifugal Sand Pump and Vibrating Screen. The vibrating screen is equipped with stainless
steel screen cloth for 20 to 30 mesh separation.
The vibrating screen undersize (— 20 mesh range) is then deslimed in a Hydroclassi er and dewatered in a
Rake Classi er after the pulp has been processed in a Mineral Jig. The jig removes a heavy mineral
concentrate such as tin and columbium.
Conditioning
High density conditioning in the 70-75% solids range is very important to prepare mineral surfaces and
assure proper reagent coating. Therefore, heavy duty Agitators are used. The duplex Agitator gives high
concentration of horsepower and eliminates short circuiting.
The deslimed and washed pulp at (70-75% solids) is conditioned for about 5 minutes with a .5 lb./ton to
approximately 1 lb./ton amounts each of the reagents as follows: a pH regulator such as lime; dextrine;
amine acetate such as Armac T; and an alcohol frother. The pH is kept in the 10-11.5 range due to the
unstable tendency of the amine collector above pH 11.5.
Reagent preparation involves little dif culty, as the liquid and dry reagents can be easily fed to conditioner
with Reagent Feeders. However, the viscous amine reagents in bulk form generally require heat and
agitation to provideour
Checkout a satisfactory liquid feed.
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Lithium Ore (Spodumene) Flotation +

The conditioned pulp is diluted to approximately 20% solids for otation in “Sub-A” Flotation Machines of
standard steel construction. The cell to cell type machine with spitzkasten and froth paddles is used as
well as the open- ow type. The open- ow machine has some advantage in coarse sand handling
characteristics, and sand gates are placed very near to the bottom of the machine to improve passage of
the 20 mesh sand fraction. Conical impellers and hood wearing plates of molded rubber construction give
satisfactory service for this coarse, abrasive job. However, molded rubber receded disc impellers and
diffuser type wearing plates also give satisfactory results when operated at speed higher than the conical
disc impellers.
Roughing and Cleaning
The froth product from initial rougher otation represents gangue contaminants and is cleaned in
additional otation cells with more reagents to increase recovery of spodumene. No attempt is made in
the rougher circuit to remove iron minerals.
Final Cleaning
The combined rougher and cleaner tailing, which is the spodumene product with iron mineral
contaminants, is then washed in a rake classi er and thickened for conditioning at 70-75% solids.
Reagents for the removal of iron minerals include a combination such as hydro uoric acid for a pH of 5,
sodium resinate and a frother.
The conditioned pulp is then diluted to a 20-25% solids for otation. Complete removal of iron minerals
along with some remaining feldspar is accomplished in a froth product which is small and is discarded.
Although not indicated on the owsheet, the nal cleaner gangue froth, which contains feldspar and mica,
can be processed in an acid circuit for the recovery of mica rst. Then hydro uoric acid amine otation is
used to separate feldspar from quartz.
Filtering-Drying
The spodumene concentrate is discharged at the tailing discharge of the otation machine and is ready for
nal processing. The spodumene pulp contains approximately 20% solids and must be dewatered before
ltration to reduce the volume of ltrate. Dewatering to 20% moisture is accomplished in a Rake Type Clas
si er with little or no loss of solids in the water over ow.
The classi er sands are ltered best on a top feed or horizontal lter. Due to the fast settling, granular
nature of the spodumene, conventional drum and disc lters are unsuitable. Filtration reduces the
moisture content to less than 10% and the lter discharge is ready for drying.
Direct red Standard Rotary Dryers satisfactorily remove the balance of the moisture. A Vibrating Screen
removes any tramp material that nds its way into the otation circuit, and the spodumene is then ready
for shipment to market or chemical processing for recovery of lithium salts.
The lithium cartel - The Feed
Lithium Sector Report
The report includes a very detailed demand analysis (i.e. Li-ion batteries with a look at cathode chemistry
for lithium carbonate vs. lithium hydroxide, and the relative lithium content for various types of oxide
cathodes, plus lithium-ion battery usage by different market segments including Passenger Electric
Vehicles (EV), E-Buses, personal electric mobility (E-Bikes), grid storage, and consumer electronic products,
as well as more traditional Industrial applications including ceramics and glass ceramics, greases &
lubricants, metallurgical powders, air and puri cation). They forecast the lithium demand to grow by 81%
from the current 192kt lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) to 347kt LCE by 2020, and by 259% to 687kt
LCE by 2025 (Figure 88), representing a CAGR of 14% across all demand sectors, driven by demand for Li-
ion battery-based electric vehicles accounting for 38% of all lithium demand by 2025 (from ~6% in 2015),
as well as signi cant demand from the grid storage sector, which they forecast will account for 13.6% of all
demand by 2025 (Figure 89 & 90).
On the supply side, they estimate global supply at 176kt LCE in 2015, with production dominated by six
operations owned by four major companies (representing 91% of total market share, including Albemarle
(ALB-US, not covered), SQM (SQM-US, not covered), FMC Corp (FMC-US, not covered), and Sichuan Tianqi
Lithium Industries (002466-CH, not covered) see Figures 15 and 16 below. The report includes a summary
of the two primary mineral sources for Lithium production, their associated metallurgical recovery
processes, and capex & operating cost pro les:
a) lithium brine deposits are formed through the leaching of volcanic rocks in basin depositional
environments. Li is extracted from brines via a process involving the pumping of brine from the sediment
basin, concentration via evaporation, and puri cation through solvent extraction, absorption, and ionic
exchange, with the end product mainly in the form of re ned Li2CO3
b) Hard rock spodumene deposits are comprised of lithium-bearing, aluminium silicate mineral which
mostly occurs in lithium-rich pegmatites (granite-like igneous rock composed of quartz, feldspar and mica).
Spodumene is usually recovered through conventional open pit mining methods and bene ciated via
gravity techniques where the ore is concentrated from 1-2% Li2O to a grade of ~6% Li2O.
In determining an expected supply side response, they have analysed over 60 lithium projects around the
globe, with 19 advanced stage projects offering potential for a total of ~400kt LCE in new supply within
the next 5-6 years (see Figure 26 below), with two to commence production before the end of 2016
(Galaxy/General Mining’s Mt Cattlin spodumene operation currently being commissioned and the Mt
Marrion spodumene project owned by a consortium consisting of Jiangxi Ganfeng Lithium, Mineral
Resources, and Neometals). They have categorised the modelled new supply sources into various
categories (Figure 27):
Committed (the two projects mentioned above),

Uncommitted (advanced stage with completion of de nitive feasibility studies expected in the next 6
months, relatively modest capital hurdles, and potential to enter production within 3 years, including
Pilbara’s Pilgangoora, Altura’s Pilgangoora, Orocobre’s Olaroz, and Galaxy’s Sal de Vida), and
Unspeci ed (potential new sources of supply, both lithium brine and hard rock, that could achieve
production within 5-6 years but which are mostly at earlier stages of development, are proposing to
utilise unproven extraction/processing techniques, have relatively high capital costs or uncertain lead
times to production, including Lithium America’s Cauchari-Olaroz, Baconora’s Sonora, Nemaska’s
Whabouchi, and Critical Element’s Rose). In Figures 28 to 35 below, they compare the key attributes to
assess the potential of projects in the Unspeci ed category and the order/time frame on which they may
be brought into production (i.e. for Brines: chemistry, including grades and impurity levels such as
magnesium and boron have an impact capital and operating costs, capex, and lead time to production;
and for Hard rock: grade, which impacts operating costs via achieving required concentrate
speci cations and acceptance among converters, and capital costs).
Market Surplus/De cit Forecasts & Pricing: Based on their modelled market supply assumptions
(uncommitted and unspeci ed new supply comes on as modelled) and base case demand projections
(estimated CAGR of 14% to 2025), they forecast market oversupply of 13% in 2018 (38kt LCE) and 14% in
2019 (43kt LCE) see Figure 2 & 3 below. That said, they also forecast the market to swing back to
balance/de cit by 2021, and by 2025, estimate that an additional 510kt (above 2015 supply estimates of
176kt LCE) of LCE production is required to meet the modelled demand estimates. Figure 91 also
illustrates their “bull” case demand projections, which assumes an 8% annual increase in demand over
their base case projections. Under this scenario, which assumes no change to the supply assumptions, they
estimate a peak market surplus of 25kt LCE in 2019, and a market de cit in 7 out of 10 years to 2025.
However, with their research indicating there are at least 18 advanced projects globally representing a
potential ~400kt of new supply that could potentially be brought on stream within 5-6 years, they would
expect in reality that any de cits may be much less severe. Under our modelled “bear” case scenario
(assumes 8% less demand
Checkout versus our
our Mining base case),
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estimate thatSelection
the market would remain in constant
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oversupply over our forecast period, with peak oversupply of 29% in 2019, and a surplus of 9% in 2025.
Therefore, based on their supply/demand modelling, they forecast lithium carbonate prices to rise from
US$6,000/t in 2015 to US$10,500/t in 2025, with spodumene concentrate prices expected to experience a
similar increase from US$450/t in 2015 to US$725/t in 2025. Under their “bull” case demand scenario, they
forecast lithium carbonate prices to rise to US$12,000/t and spodumene concentrate to US$870/t by 2025.
The updated price deck has the following impact on their current coverage universe.
CHARTS FROM CANARCORD GENUINE ESTIMATES
Spodumene Extraction
Spodumene Market Specifications
Li2O, minimum………………………………………………………………………….6.0 per cent

Fe2O3, maximum……………………………………………………………………….0.5 per cent
Production Problems
Pegmatite ores containing spodumene always contain several other minerals such as mica, feldspar,
quartz, and iron and other silicates that have a tendency to concentrate with the spodumene. Weathering
and surface oxidation of the rock also give rise to alteration products that interfere with otation.
Reagent Combination
The reagent combination, to be most effective, should be worked out for each deposit by laboratory tests +
and pilot-plant treatment. The following combination, for a North Carolina deposit, involves two steps of
otation.
Gangue minerals such as mica, feldspar, and quartz are rst oated after grinding the ore and de-sliming
by treatment with a cationic collector in alkaline circuit, and with starch or dextrine, to depress
spodumene and iron minerals. The iron minerals are then removed by otation in acid circuit with sodium
resinate as collector and hydro uoric acid as an inhibitor for the spodumene, which is thus concentrated in
the tailing product.

Processing Spodumene by Froth Flotation For Lithium Extraction

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12/24/2017 Processing Spodumene by Froth Flotation for Lithium Extraction

Consulting & Engineering Ore Testing Buy Equipment Metallurgist’s Blog

Metallurgical Discussion Forums Jobs Buy/Sell

Processing Spodumene by Froth Flotation for Lithium Extraction

Spodumene theoretically contains 8.03% Li2O and therefore the

The Lithium Ore Flowsheet

A Mineral Jig is included to recover a heavy +

Mine run ore is usually bulky to avoid nes and

A stationary grizzly, set at approximately 1½”

Grinding and Classification

Lithium Ore (Spodumene) Flotation +

Roughing and Cleaning

The lithium cartel - The Feed

Lithium Sector Report

Committed (the two projects mentioned above),

CHARTS FROM CANARCORD GENUINE ESTIMATES

Spodumene Market Specifications

Li2O, minimum………………………………………………………………………….6.0 per cent

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