Lithium deportment by size of a calcined spodumene ore

Abstract

Calcination of spodumene is used to convert α-spodumene to more reactive β-spodumene, has been shown to greatly impact the physical characteristics of some of the components in the ore. This work investigates the energy efficiency of different grinding circuits used for upgrading the lithium content in the finer fraction of the calcined spodumene ore. The results showed that closed-circuit grinding resulted in 89% lithium recovery of the finest size fractions (− 0.6 mm) while open-circuit grinding led to 65% lithium recovery for the same grinding time. Closed-circuit grinding consumed lower energy than open-circuit grinding. The grade of the finest size fraction in the case of the open-circuit grinding was 1.7 times more than that in the case of the closed-circuit grinding. This work shows the potential of using different grinding modes to maximize energy efficiency and lithium deportment by size. However, it is suggested that open circuit grinding should be used for beneficiations of spodumene ores.