Abstract
Mixtures of a petalite flotation concentrate and sodium sulphate (Na2SO4) with mass ratios of 1:0.5 and 1:1 were prepared and milled for 5 h using zirconia media in a planetary ball mill. The milled mixtures were heated at 800–1000 °C for 1 h in air in a muffle furnace. The XRD patterns for the calcines indicated that reaction between petalite and sodium sulphate results in formation of LiNaSO4, albite and spodumene phases. The results indicated that increasing temperature and/or amount of sodium sulphate in the mixtures both play a significant role in decomposition of petalite concentrate and formation of LiNaSO4 phase. Leaching the calcines in hot water (80 °C) selectively dissolved the LiNaSO4. Solution analyses indicated that >99% lithium dissolution can be achieved for mixtures with 1:1 mass ratio after heating at 1000 °C for 1 h. The presence of phases such as quartz (SiO2) and albite in the leach residues showed that roasting petalite concentrate with sodium sulphate (Na2SO4) and followed by hot water leaching is a sufficient process for selective lithium dissolution from a petalite concentrate.
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