Description of Methods and Procedures for TOP Extractant

TOP In the field of extraction technology, the invention relates particularly to a lithium‑ion system comprising a process for separating lithium ions from an aqueous phase containing lithium ions, using tributyl phosphate and an ionic liquid in a volume ratio of the ionic liquid to tributyl phosphate not exceeding 1:1; and further comprising the addition of a high‑acid salt to the lithium‑ion‑containing feed solution to promote extraction, wherein the molar ratio of the high‑acid salt to the lithium ions is 0.5–3:1. This invention not only avoids environmental pollution caused by conventional organic solvents and reduces dissolution losses due to volatilization, but also overcomes the difficulty of separating the organic and aqueous phases, thereby demonstrating significant potential for practical application.

Lithium not only plays a crucial role in the defense industry but is also increasingly vital to the national economy, particularly in the energy sector: both 6Li and 7Li are essential materials for future nuclear fusion reactors and for nuclear fission. Demand for lithium‑based battery materials is likewise on the rise. Consequently, lithium has been hailed as the “energy metal of the 21st century.” With both domestic and international demand continuing to grow, the research, development, and utilization of lithium resources have become urgently needed.

Currently, the main technological approaches for lithium extraction from salt‑lake brines include evaporation–crystallization separation, salting‑out, selective semipermeable membrane filtration, precipitation, and solvent extraction. TOP Extraction, ion exchange, and other methods. Among these, solvent… TOP Extraction is a relatively effective method for lithium recovery from low-grade brines, enabling selective separation of the target ion, particularly in salt‑lake brines with high magnesium-to-lithium ratios. Currently employed… TOP Extractants are mostly phosphorus-containing organic compounds. TOP Extractant, amine TOP Extractant, diketone, crown ether, and mixture TOP Extractants, among which phosphorus-containing organics have been studied most extensively. TOP Extractant. Commonly used TOP The extraction system uses tributyl phosphate (TBP) as… TOP Extract Reagent: ferric chloride as a catalyst. TOP The extractant is tributyl phosphate, with sulfonated kerosene as the diluent. Using tributyl phosphate as… TOP The extractant extracts lithium, its TOP It boasts a high extraction rate (with an overall lithium recovery of approximately 90%), a simple process flow, and holds great potential for widespread applications.

Ionic liquids (ILs) possess several advantageous properties: (1) they exhibit virtually no vapor pressure, are nonvolatile, nonflammable, and nonoxidative, and their viscosity is tunable; (2) ionic liquids serve as excellent solvents for a wide range of organic compounds, organometallic species, inorganic substances, and even polymeric materials, enabling the formation of nonaqueous, polarity‑tunable biphasic systems and functioning as co‑solvents in nonchemical separation processes; (3) they are stable in the presence of water and air, easy to handle, and readily recoverable. Ionic liquids are environmentally friendly, nonpolluting, and reusable, making them suitable for use in… TOP Extraction and separation.

When extracting lithium from salt lake brine systems using solvents, commonly used… TOP The extraction system consists of tributyl phosphate (TBP), ferric chloride, and sulfonated kerosene; however, a drawback of this method is that ferric chloride, acting as a cosolvent, tends to form emulsions more readily during operation, thereby complicating the separation of the aqueous and organic phases.