The World Archive: info lithium

**Australia** – The largest lithium ore exporter, primarily as spodumene concentrate, with major markets in China and other Asian countries.
**Chile** – Major exporter of lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide from its vast lithium brine reserves in the Atacama Desert.
**China** – Exports refined lithium products, though it also imports raw lithium ore for processing.
**Argentina** – Exports lithium from the “lithium triangle” and supplies primarily to the U.S., Europe, and China.
**Zimbabwe** – Emerging as a significant exporter of hard rock lithium ore, especially spodumene, primarily to China.
**Brazil** – Exports lithium primarily as spodumene and lithium concentrate.
**Portugal** – Europe’s main lithium producer, exporting lithium, though on a smaller scale than the top producers.
**United States** – Though not a large exporter, the U.S. does export some lithium from domestic sources.
**Canada** – Developing lithium mining projects, with future potential as an exporter, especially of spodumene.
**Bolivia** – Holds significant lithium resources, though export production is still limited and developing.
**Namibia** – Recently initiated lithium mining and exports, mostly to Asia.
**Mexico** – Exploring lithium projects that could lead to exports, particularly from Sonora.
**Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)** – Known for exploration projects and potential future exports.
**Spain** – Small-scale lithium production with exports expected to increase in the future.
**Russia** – Potential future player in lithium production and exports as new mines are developed.
**Serbia** – Holds significant lithium reserves and plans for future mining and exports.
**Finland** – Produces small amounts of lithium, primarily for European markets.
**Ghana** – Recently initiated lithium exploration with plans for future exports.
**Austria** – Small-scale lithium production with potential to grow as projects develop.
**Peru** – Developing lithium resources with potential for future exports.

Known Methods of Extraction

### **Primary Methods (Commercial Scale)** 1. **Evaporation of Lithium Brines**: - Brine is pumped from underground salt flats into large evaporation ponds where water evaporates, leaving lithium-rich salts behind. 2. **Hard Rock Mining**: - Lithium is extracted from minerals like spodumene, petalite, and lepidolite found in hard rock deposits. 3. **Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE)**: - Emerging technologies use chemical sorbents, membranes, or ion-exchange resins to extract lithium directly from brine without evaporation ponds. 4. **Sulfuric Acid Roasting**: - Spodumene ore is roasted with sulfuric acid to extract lithium as a lithium sulfate solution. 5. **Hydrometallurgical Processing**: - Involves leaching lithium from ores with acids or alkalis, followed by precipitation and purification. 6. **Solar Evaporation**: - Similar to brine evaporation but relies solely on solar energy to reduce operational costs. --- ### **Alternative Sources** 7. **Extraction from Geothermal Brines**: - Geothermal power plants can recover lithium from hot brine used in electricity generation. 8. **Clay Extraction**: - Lithium-rich clays like hectorite are mined and treated chemically to extract lithium. 9. **Salt Lake Harvesting**: - Salt lakes rich in lithium (e.g., Salar de Atacama) are tapped for their brines. 10. **Seawater Extraction**: - Lithium is present in trace amounts in seawater, and emerging technologies aim to extract it cost-effectively. 11. **Oilfield Brines**: - Lithium is extracted as a byproduct from brines produced during oil and gas operations. 12. **Petalite Ore Processing**: - Petalite, a lithium-rich mineral, is processed similarly to spodumene for lithium extraction. --- ### **Recycling and Recovery** 13. **Battery Recycling**: - Recycling lithium-ion batteries to recover lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide. 14. **Industrial Waste Recovery**: - Lithium can be recovered from industrial waste streams, such as those from glass and ceramics production. 15. **Recovery from Spent Catalyst Materials**: - Lithium used in catalysts (e.g., in the petrochemical industry) can be reclaimed and recycled. --- ### **Experimental and Emerging Methods** 16. **Nanotechnology Filtration**: - Advanced nanofiltration membranes separate lithium from brine or wastewater. 17. **Electrochemical Lithium Extraction**: - Involves applying an electric current to selectively extract lithium ions from a solution. 18. **Biological Extraction**: - Using microorganisms or algae to extract lithium from ores or brines. 19. **Molecular Sieve Technology**: - Selective molecular sieves can trap lithium ions from complex brine mixtures. 20. **Supercritical CO₂ Leaching**: - A green technology using supercritical carbon dioxide as a solvent to extract lithium from ores.