Assessment of lithium pegmatite ore bodies to determine their amenability to processing for the extraction of lithium

Abstract

Various processes have been developed using a combination of elevated temperature and chemical treatment processing to recover Li from silicate minerals. To facilitate further process development, a comprehensive understanding of the deportment of Li and associated minerals in ore bodies is essential to allow the industry to predict the response of ore reserves to metallurgical treatment options. This paper describes results from the integrated use of the John de Laeter Centre’s state of the art analytical and mass spectrometry techniques to characterise a selection of Li bearing ore bodies and determine their amenability to potential processing options for the extraction of Li. The mineralogy, mineral associations and liberation characteristics of orebearing and gangue minerals where characterised using by a combination of the TIMA and XRPD studies. The Li content and distribution within minerals were defined using LAM-ICPMS and field emission scanning electron microscopy techniques (ESBD, ToF-SIMS) and atomic probe microscopy