Explore the science behind these advancements in our blog, where data and ingenuity guide the way to more sustainable lithium extraction solutions.
Innovative approaches to efficient lithium extraction and recovery
OLI’s advanced simulation tools offer insights into efficient brine and hard rock extraction, the conversion to battery-grade lithium and effective recycling practices. By streamlining each stage of the lithium lifecycle, OLI empowers companies to drive sustainable and optimized production.
Exploring the Core Challenges in Lithium Recovery
The lithium industry encounters numerous challenges, from enhancing leaching efficiency to addressing environmental impacts. Achieving sustainable lithium production hinges on maximizing recovery rates, minimizing reagent use and advancing effective recycling methods. By leveraging precision chemistry models, companies can navigate these complex issues, promoting operational efficiency and responsible environmental practices.
Addressing the challenges of lithium extraction, processing and recovery
For lithium producers, optimizing extraction, processing and recycling is crucial to meeting the growing demand for sustainable, high-yield production. OLI's advanced chemistry models provide robust support across the entire lithium lifecycle—from efficient brine and hard rock extraction to conversion into battery-grade lithium and innovative recycling techniques. OLI Software empower companies to streamline production processes and adopt sustainable practices, ensuring optimal yield at every stage.
Extraction efficiency in DLE
Optimizing brine extraction is essential for maximizing lithium recovery, yet it operates far from equilibrium and is highly influenced by brine composition. OLI’s integrated thermodynamic and kinetic models address this by developing a baseline simulation that incorporates process conditions, contact time, media type and brine composition. This approach removes the guesswork, allowing for precise adjustments and predictable outcomes, ensuring the process is transparent rather than a ‘black box.’
Product purity
Achieving high purity in Li₂CO₃ and LiOH is essential for commanding a higher market price, yet impurities like Na, K, Ca, Fe, and B can diminish product value. The key lies in either removing these impurities during processing or designing a process that prevents contamination. OLI supports both approaches with its comprehensive thermodynamic model, which predicts impurity behavior, and private databanking tools that can be tailored to specific operations. This combination empowers operators with industry-leading tools to achieve the required purity standards.
Water management
Many extraction operations face water scarcity, making it essential to minimize water use for both permitting and sustainable operations. This often requires plants to recycle process water, which can lead to challenges such as scaling, corrosion and impurity buildup. OLI’s software provides unparalleled accuracy in predicting the impacts of water cycling, allowing operators to proactively address these issues and support efficient, reliable water management.
Battery recycling
Recovering lithium from black mass in batteries presents significant challenges, with few recycling operations achieving profitability. Yet, each car battery contains potentially hundreds of dollars’ worth of recoverable lithium. OLI collaborates with innovative recycling start-ups to develop hydrometallurgical separation processes, transforming lithium recovery into an economically viable endeavor. This work contributes to a more sustainable lithium supply and helps meet government mandates for recycled metals in next-generation batteries.
Advancing Lithium Recovery with Sustainable Solutions
Advanced simulation software for optimizing lithium extraction and processing
OLI Systems provides comprehensive, end-to-end support across the entire lithium lifecycle. Our advanced chemistry models optimize extraction efficiency, purification, and sustainable practices, empowering lithium producers to achieve both high performance and environmental responsibility in their processes.
Brine extraction
With OLI’s brine chemistry models, producers can optimize lithium extraction, achieving effective water management and minimizing waste to promote more sustainable operations.
Hard rock mining
OLI’s predictive modeling tools are designed to support optimal yield in hard rock mining, addressing environmental impacts with precision and foresight
Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) Technologies
OLI’s DLE process simulations enhance efficiency, reduce reagent consumption, and improve recovery rates, offering sustainable pathways for lithium production.
Concentration and purification
OLI’s chemistry models provide the precision needed to achieve high lithium purity, ensuring quality and consistency in the purification process for downstream applications.
Conversion to lithium hydroxide and carbonate
Optimize conversion processes for lithium hydroxide and carbonate with OLI’s models, enhancing yields and maintaining consistent product quality.
Battery-grade lithium production
Our models enable the production of high-purity lithium required for battery-grade applications, helping producers meet rigorous industry standards and demand.
Wastewater management
OLI’s advanced models support sustainable wastewater management in lithium processing, aligning operations with environmental standards.
Lithium-ion battery recycling methods. (Black mass).
OLI’s simulation tools enable efficient lithium recovery from black mass, promoting resource sustainability and environmental stewardship.
Challenges and advancements in lithium recycling
OLI tackles core challenges in lithium recycling, advancing innovations that enhance recovery efficiency and support a circular economy for a more sustainable lithium industry.
From the Andean flats to the Salton Sea: A deeper look into the science of lithium extraction
In the pursuit of sustainable lithium recovery, the diversity of brine compositions—from the mineral-rich Andean flats to the geothermal depths of the Salton Sea—presents both challenges and opportunities. OLI Systems’ advanced thermodynamic analysis offers a precise approach to understanding and managing these complexities, providing data-driven insights that illuminate the most effective paths forward. With our chemistry modeling tools, users gain a profound understanding of brine behaviors, optimizing conditions to reduce scaling, increase recovery rates, and enhance the overall efficiency of extraction methods. This case study explores how science and innovation combine to transform the potential of lithium extraction, establishing new benchmarks for informed, reliable resource management.
SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS
Master the complex chemistry of lithium processing with OLI's advanced software solutions
OLI Studio: Stream Analyzer
Achieve unmatched clarity in lithium extraction and purification by modeling complex brine compositions with precision. Stream Analyzer enables detailed studies of ion interactions, phase behavior, and mixer simulations to optimize how brine streams interact, ensuring well-informed decision-making throughout the extraction process.
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OLI Studio: Corrosion Analyzer
Effectively manage corrosion risks inherent to lithium processing environments. With Corrosion Analyzer, predict and mitigate corrosion at critical stages, safeguarding equipment longevity and operational reliability in demanding brine conditions.
Learn more
OLI Flowsheet: ESP
Optimize lithium extraction and purification through steady-state simulations of multi-phase systems. Flowsheet: ESP empowers you to design efficient workflows, troubleshoot complex processes, and ensure control from initial extraction through the final stages of lithium recycling, enabling reliable and scalable solutions.
Learn more
OLI Studio: Stream Analyzer
Achieve unmatched clarity in lithium extraction and purification by modeling complex brine compositions with precision. Stream Analyzer enables detailed studies of ion interactions, phase behavior, and mixer simulations to optimize how brine streams interact, ensuring well-informed decision-making throughout the extraction process.
Learn more
OLI Studio: Corrosion Analyzer
Effectively manage corrosion risks inherent to lithium processing environments. With Corrosion Analyzer, predict and mitigate corrosion at critical stages, safeguarding equipment longevity and operational reliability in demanding brine conditions.
Learn more
OLI Flowsheet: ESP
Optimize lithium extraction and purification through steady-state simulations of multi-phase systems. Flowsheet: ESP empowers you to design efficient workflows, troubleshoot complex processes, and ensure control from initial extraction through the final stages of lithium recycling, enabling reliable and scalable solutions.
Learn more
Leverage unparalleled expertise to elevate every phase of lithium processing.
OLI solutions support you from targeted extraction to advanced purification, ensuring that each step is strategically optimized for maximum efficiency and sustainability. With OLI’s tools, refine your operations with clarity and control, driving impactful results that set a new standard in lithium recovery.
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