Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Scientists at Russia's Rosatom State Corporation have developed a zero-waste technology for processing lithium-bearing mica ores from the Nurlikon deposit in Uzbekistan. The method enables the recovery of 94.44% of the lithium into finished products while also allowing industrial waste to be reused in the production process, Rosatom's press service said.
The technology was developed by specialists from JSC Giredmet, part of Rosatom's scientific division. It is designed to process ore containing approximately 0.5% lithium oxide.
According to the developers, conventional beneficiation methods cannot effectively separate the mineral from the surrounding rock because of the similarities in their properties. The high carbonate content of the raw material creates additional processing challenges.
One of the key features of the new technology is the use of phosphogypsum, an industrial waste product from the Almalyk Chemical Plant, as a raw material in an intermediate processing stage. This is expected to enable the annual utilization of approximately 225,000 tonnes of phosphogypsum.
The planned processing capacity is 750,000 tonnes of ore per year. According to JSC Giredmet, this will enable the production of more than 8,500 tonnes of high-purity lithium carbonate of the KhCh grade.
The technology is designed to eliminate the generation of both liquid and solid waste. Processing tailings are intended to be used as raw materials for the cement industry.
"We deliberately pursued a zero-waste model. For low-grade mica ores, this is not simply an environmental requirement but an economic necessity. Phosphogypsum, which is currently an industrial waste product, becomes a reagent, while processing tailings become raw materials for the cement industry. As a result, we obtain high-purity lithium carbonate," said Valery Golovko, head of the technical department at JSC Giredmet.
According to Golovko, pilot industrial tests are planned for next year to prepare the technology for implementation on an industrial scale.
