The invention relates to a method for producing solid particles from an inorganic solid containing at least one alkali metal and/or alkaline earth metal, comprising at least the following steps: a) providing the inorganic solid containing at least one alkali metal and/or alkaline earth metal; b) extracting the at least one alkali metal and/or alkaline earth metal from the inorganic solid containing alkali metal and/or alkaline earth metal to obtain an extract containing the alkali metal and/or alkaline earth metal and an alkali metal-depleted and/or alkaline earth metal-depleted residue; c) separating the extract from the residue; d) processing the residue to obtain the solid particles, wherein at least one of the processing steps is selected from a group comprising transporting, filling, packaging, washing, drying, adjusting the pH value, separating according to a mean grain size and/or mass and/or density, adjusting a mean grain size, magnetic separating, calcining, thermal rounding and surface coating.

The invention relates to a method for producing solid particles from an inorganic solid containing at least one alkali metal and/or alkaline earth metal, comprising at least the following steps: a) providing the inorganic solid containing at least one alkali metal and/or alkaline earth metal; b) extracting the at least one alkali metal and/or alkaline earth metal from the inorganic solid containing alkali metal and/or alkaline earth metal to obtain an extract containing the alkali metal and/or alkaline earth metal and an alkali metal-depleted and/or alkaline earth metal-depleted residue; c) separating the extract from the residue; d) processing the residue to obtain the solid particles, wherein at least one of the processing steps is selected from a group comprising transporting, filling, packaging, washing, drying, adjusting the pH value, separating according to a mean grain size and/or mass and/or density, adjusting a mean grain size, magnetic separating, calcining, thermal rounding and surface coating.

The invention relates to a system for neutralizing asbestos, said system comprising a mobile neutralization unit (200) comprising: an asbestos waste sorting module (225), an asbestos grinder (255) and a hot acid bath (250) for rendering asbestos inert.

Preferably, the asbestos waste sorting module comprises: a window with glove boxes; and a conveyor for transporting the asbestos waste in front of the window.

In embodiments, the system comprises a means for containing the atmosphere within the mobile neutralization unit and/or the hot acid bath (250) of the mobile neutralization unit (200) comprises sulfuric acid.

A process for the production of a metal which comprises: carbothermal reduction of the corresponding metal oxide to produce a mixed gas stream comprising the metal and carbon monoxide; maintaining the mixed gas stream at a suitably elevated temperature to prevent reformation of the metal oxide; ejecting the mixed gas stream through a convergent-divergent nozzle in order to cool the mixed gas stream instantaneously to a temperature at which reformation of the metal oxide cannot take place; and separating and collecting the metal, wherein the nozzle is heated by means other than gas flow through the nozzle so that temperature of surfaces of the nozzle in contact with the mixed gas stream are maintained at a temperature sufficient to prevent deposition on the said surfaces of products from the gas stream.

A process for the production of a metal which comprises: carbothermal reduction of the corresponding metal oxide to produce a mixed gas stream comprising the metal and carbon monoxide; maintaining the mixed gas stream at a suitably elevated temperature to prevent reformation of the metal oxide; ejecting the mixed gas stream through a convergent-divergent nozzle in order to cool the mixed gas stream instantaneously to a temperature at which reformation of the metal oxide cannot take place; and separating and collecting the metal, wherein the nozzle is heated by means other than gas flow through the nozzle so that temperature of surfaces of the nozzle in contact with the mixed gas stream are maintained at a temperature sufficient to prevent deposition on the said surfaces of products from the gas stream.

A process for the chemical conversion of contaminated magnesium hydroxide to high purity solutions of magnesium bicarbonate include steps of providing an impure reagent including at least 40% and less than 95% by total weight of total metals of magnesium in a form of solid magnesium hydroxide and at least 10% by weight of total metals of calcium carbonate, combining the impure reagent containing the solid magnesium hydroxide with carbonic acid in water, thereby generating magnesium bicarbonate and water and then filtering out solid calcium carbonate leaving a solution of magnesium bicarbonate in water having a by weight ratio of Mg/(Mg+Ca) in the solution of greater than 95%. Heating and/or drying the magnesium bicarbonate solution produces correspondingly high purity magnesium carbonate.

A process for the chemical conversion of contaminated magnesium hydroxide to high purity solutions of magnesium bicarbonate include steps of providing an impure reagent including at least 40% and less than 95% by total weight of total metals of magnesium in a form of solid magnesium hydroxide and at least 10% by weight of total metals of calcium carbonate, combining the impure reagent containing the solid magnesium hydroxide with carbonic acid in water, thereby generating magnesium bicarbonate and water and then filtering out solid calcium carbonate leaving a solution of magnesium bicarbonate in water having a by weight ratio of Mg/(Mg+Ca) in the solution of greater than 95%. Heating and/or drying the magnesium bicarbonate solution produces correspondingly high purity magnesium carbonate.

The present invention belongs to the technical field of preparation of light metal alloy materials, in particular to a method for producing a magnesium-lithium alloy by a gaseous co-condensation method. The method comprises the steps of: 1) mixing and briquetting a lithium salt, a refractory agent and a catalyst under pressure, and then thermally decomposing to form an unsaturated composite oxide; 2) respectively crushing and ball-milling, and then briquetting the unsaturated composite oxide, magnesium oxide, a reducing agent and a fluxing agent; 3) reducing briquettes in vacuum; 4) making a gas pass through a first condensing chamber of a temperature control device, and then purifying; 5) The purified metal gas is condensed into the condensing phase of the alloy through the second condensing chamber of a quenching device; 6) obtaining the magnesium-lithium alloy with a purity being 99.5% or above by virtue of smelting and flux-refining, and then purifying by distillation. The magnesium-lithium alloy obtained in the present application is not segregated, so that a stable β-phase solid solution or a compound having an increasing purity being 99.95% is formed.

The present invention belongs to the technical field of preparation of light metal alloy materials, in particular to a method for producing a magnesium-lithium alloy by a gaseous co-condensation method. The method comprises the steps of: 1) mixing and briquetting a lithium salt, a refractory agent and a catalyst under pressure, and then thermally decomposing to form an unsaturated composite oxide; 2) respectively crushing and ball-milling, and then briquetting the unsaturated composite oxide, magnesium oxide, a reducing agent and a fluxing agent; 3) reducing briquettes in vacuum; 4) making a gas pass through a first condensing chamber of a temperature control device, and then purifying; 5) The purified metal gas is condensed into the condensing phase of the alloy through the second condensing chamber of a quenching device; 6) obtaining the magnesium-lithium alloy with a purity being 99.5% or above by virtue of smelting and flux-refining, and then purifying by distillation. The magnesium-lithium alloy obtained in the present application is not segregated, so that a stable β-phase solid solution or a compound having an increasing purity being 99.95% is formed.

A process for the recovery of lithium from lithium bearing mica rich minerals, the process comprising passing an ore containing one or more lithium bearing mica rich minerals to at least one pre-treatment step, passing the pre-treated ore to an acid leach step thereby producing a pregnant leach solution, subjecting the pregnant leach solution to a series of process steps in which one or more impurity metals are removed, and recovering lithium as a lithium containing salt product.