Systems and methods for sequestering carbon, evolving hydrogen gas, producing iron oxide as magnetite, and producing magnesium carbonate as magnesite through sequential carbonation and serpentinization/hydration reactions involving processed olivine- and/or pyroxene-rich ores, as typically found in mafic and ultramafic igneous rock. Precious or scarce metals, such nickel, cobalt, chromium, rare earth elements, and others, may be concentrated in the remaining ore to facilitate their recovery from any gangue material.

In this disclosure, a process of recycling acid, base and the salt reagents required in the Li recovery process is introduced. A membrane electrolysis cell which incorporates an oxygen depolarized cathode is implemented to generate the required chemicals onsite. The system can utilize a portion of the salar brine or other lithium-containing brine or solid waste to generate hydrochloric or sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide and carbonate salts. Simultaneous generation of acid and base allows for taking advantage of both chemicals during the conventional Li recovery from brines and mineral rocks. The desalinated water can also be used for the washing steps on the recovery process or returned into the evaporation ponds. The method also can be used for the direct conversion of lithium salts to the high value LiOH product. The method does not produce any solid effluent which makes it easy-to-adopt for use in existing industrial Li recovery plants.

In this disclosure, a process of recycling acid, base and the salt reagents required in the Li recovery process is introduced. A membrane electrolysis cell which incorporates an oxygen depolarized cathode is implemented to generate the required chemicals onsite. The system can utilize a portion of the salar brine or other lithium-containing brine or solid waste to generate hydrochloric or sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide and carbonate salts. Simultaneous generation of acid and base allows for taking advantage of both chemicals during the conventional Li recovery from brines and mineral rocks. The desalinated water can also be used for the washing steps on the recovery process or returned into the evaporation ponds. The method also can be used for the direct conversion of lithium salts to the high value LiOH product. The method does not produce any solid effluent which makes it easy-to-adopt for use in existing industrial Li recovery plants.

Methods and composition are provided for deriving cement and/or supplementary cementitious materials, such as pozzolans, from one or more non-limestone materials, such as one or more non-limestone rocks and/or minerals. The non-limestone materials, e.g., non-limestone rocks and/or minerals, are processed in a manner that a desired product, e.g., cement and/or supplementary cementitious material, is produced.

A carbonate microfluidic model with controllable nanoscale porosity and methods are described. The method for fabricating a carbonate nanofluidic micromodel with controllable nanoscale porosity for studying fluid behaviors in an underground oil-reservoir environment includes: disposing a plurality of polymer spheres into a transparent flow cell; initiating crystallization of the plurality of polymer spheres to form a template with an opal structure; filling the transparent flow cell with a calcium-based solution and a carbonate-based solution to form nanocrystals in voids of the opal structure; and removing the template formed by crystallization of the plurality of polymer spheres from the transparent flow cell leaving an inverse opal structure with a plurality of nanoscale pores and a carbonate surface. The model includes: a transparent flow cell including a first end defining an inlet and a second end defining an outlet; and an inverse opal structure of carbonate inside the transparent flow cell.

A carbonate microfluidic model with controllable nanoscale porosity and methods are described. The method for fabricating a carbonate nanofluidic micromodel with controllable nanoscale porosity for studying fluid behaviors in an underground oil-reservoir environment includes: disposing a plurality of polymer spheres into a transparent flow cell; initiating crystallization of the plurality of polymer spheres to form a template with an opal structure; filling the transparent flow cell with a calcium-based solution and a carbonate-based solution to form nanocrystals in voids of the opal structure; and removing the template formed by crystallization of the plurality of polymer spheres from the transparent flow cell leaving an inverse opal structure with a plurality of nanoscale pores and a carbonate surface. The model includes: a transparent flow cell including a first end defining an inlet and a second end defining an outlet; and an inverse opal structure of carbonate inside the transparent flow cell.

In this disclosure, a process of recycling acid, base and the salt reagents required in the Li recovery process is introduced. A membrane electrolysis cell which incorporates an oxygen depolarized cathode is implemented to generate the required chemicals onsite. The system can utilize a portion of the salar brine or other lithium-containing brine or solid waste to generate hydrochloric or sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide and carbonate salts. Simultaneous generation of acid and base allows for taking advantage of both chemicals during the conventional Li recovery from brines and mineral rocks. The desalinated water can also be used for the washing steps on the recovery process or returned into the evaporation ponds. The method also can be used for the direct conversion of lithium salts to the high value LiOH product. The method does not produce any solid effluent which makes it easy-to-adopt for use in existing industrial Li recovery plants.

In this disclosure, a process of recycling acid, base and the salt reagents required in the Li recovery process is introduced. A membrane electrolysis cell which incorporates an oxygen depolarized cathode is implemented to generate the required chemicals onsite. The system can utilize a portion of the salar brine or other lithium-containing brine or solid waste to generate hydrochloric or sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide and carbonate salts. Simultaneous generation of acid and base allows for taking advantage of both chemicals during the conventional Li recovery from brines and mineral rocks. The desalinated water can also be used for the washing steps on the recovery process or returned into the evaporation ponds. The method also can be used for the direct conversion of lithium salts to the high value LiOH product. The method does not produce any solid effluent which makes it easy-to-adopt for use in existing industrial Li recovery plants.

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.