Lithium extraction potential of hectorites from the Bigadiç borate basin: mineralogical characterization and selective cation exchange experiments

Abstract

Although lithium is a common element worldwide, it is primarily concentrated in specific areas, including pegmatites, granites, and clays, as well as brine. Today, research in various countries is exploring experimental techniques for extracting Li from Li rich rocks and clays. The Bigadiç boron deposits form in a volcano-sedimentary environment in western Turkey, and their boron minerals interlayer with significant amounts of Li-rich hectorite. However, the clays' high Mg content presents a significant complication, increasing the cost of lithium processes and necessitating an intricate extraction process. In this study, a solution with high Li and low Mg content was obtained by a two-step extraction process from raw Bigadiç clays with high Li content. Raw hectorite samples NaCl, CaCl2 and FeCl3 cation sources were mixed by the mechanical mixing method to provide cation absorption on the clay surface. The targeted ion, Li, was transferred from the clay to the solution by preferential displacement using acid treatment. The findings produced through DLi =[Li(clay)]/[Li(aq)] (ppm/ppm) and logDLi= 1319/T(K) + 5.5 ([Li(aq)]) -0.0806 formulae were analyzed and interpreted. The investigation has demonstrated the viability of selective cation exchange procedures upon rich lithium clay reserves present in Bigadiç.