Molasses based alcohol distilleries generate highly contaminated, dark coloured and foul smelling effluent (bio-methanated spent wash, BMSW, also known as post methanated effluent). While the prevailing practices for treatment of alcohol distillery effiuents operate on the premises of liability management, high potassium content of spent wash (ca. 2% w/v in BMSVV) offers an opportunity for its utilisation in production of potash fertilisersa major agricultural input. The present invention provides process for potash recovery from BMSW with concomitant environmental remediation of effluent. The process involves pre-treatment of BMSW followed by potash recovery through selective precipitation technique to produce potash fertilisers and activated carbon while generating a relatively benign effluent (>80% remediation). It may further be possible for the alcohol distilleries to achieve ZLD status by incorporating commercially practiced water recovery techniques (viz., multiple effect evaporation/nano-filtration/reverse osmosis etc.) for downstream processing of the process effluent.

This invention relates to a method for the preparation of lithium carbonate from lithium chloride containing brines. The method can include a silica removal step, capturing lithium chloride, recovering lithium chloride, supplying lithium chloride to an electrochemical cell and producing lithium hydroxide, contacting the lithium hydroxide with carbon dioxide to produce lithium carbonate.

This invention relates to a method for the preparation of lithium carbonate from lithium chloride containing brines. The method can include a silica removal step, capturing lithium chloride, recovering lithium chloride, supplying lithium chloride to an electrochemical cell and producing lithium hydroxide, contacting the lithium hydroxide with carbon dioxide to produce lithium carbonate.

This invention relates to a method for the preparation of lithium carbonate from lithium chloride containing brines. The method can include a silica removal step, capturing lithium chloride, recovering lithium chloride, supplying lithium chloride to an electrochemical cell and producing lithium hydroxide, contacting the lithium hydroxide with carbon dioxide to produce lithium carbonate.

This invention relates to a method for the preparation of lithium carbonate from lithium chloride containing brines. The method can include a silica removal step, capturing lithium chloride, recovering lithium chloride, supplying lithium chloride to an electrochemical cell and producing lithium hydroxide, contacting the lithium hydroxide with carbon dioxide to produce lithium carbonate.

A process and system are disclosed for producing lithium oxide from lithium nitrate. In the process and system, the lithium nitrate is thermally decomposed in a manner such that a fraction of the lithium nitrate forms lithium oxide, and such that a remaining fraction of the lithium nitrate does not decompose to lithium oxide. The thermal decomposition may be terminated after a determined time period to ensure that there is a remaining fraction of lithium nitrate and to thereby produce a lithium oxide in lithium nitrate product. The lithium oxide in lithium nitrate product may have one or more transition-metal oxides, hydroxides, carbonates or nitrates added thereto to form a battery electrode. The lithium oxide in lithium nitrate product may alternatively be subjected to carbothermal reduction to produce lithium metal.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a liquid or crystallized form of NPK fertilizer based on nitrate nitrogen, which is obtained on the basis of organic chemistry, from recycling agricultural and industrial wastes and waste materials through an organic microbiological nitrification process. Products such as potassium nitrate, magnesium nitrate, iron nitrate, and calcium nitrate produced in this way become environmentally friendly products.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a liquid or crystallized form of NPK fertilizer based on nitrate nitrogen, which is obtained on the basis of organic chemistry, from recycling agricultural and industrial wastes and waste materials through an organic microbiological nitrification process. Products such as potassium nitrate, magnesium nitrate, iron nitrate, and calcium nitrate produced in this way become environmentally friendly products.