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.

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.

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 systems for dissolving an iron-containing ore are disclosed. For example, a method of processing and dissolving an iron-containing ore comprises: thermally reducing one or more non-magnetite iron oxide materials in the iron-containing ore to form magnetite in the presence of a reductant, thereby forming thermally-reduced ore; and dissolving at least a portion of the thermally-reduced ore using an acid to form an acidic iron-salt solution; wherein the acidic iron-salt solution comprises protons electrochemically generated in an electrochemical cell.

Methods and systems for dissolving an iron-containing ore are disclosed. For example, a method of processing and dissolving an iron-containing ore comprises: thermally reducing one or more non-magnetite iron oxide materials in the iron-containing ore to form magnetite in the presence of a reductant, thereby forming thermally-reduced ore; and dissolving at least a portion of the thermally-reduced ore using an acid to form an acidic iron-salt solution; wherein the acidic iron-salt solution comprises protons electrochemically generated in an electrochemical cell.

A metal composition includes from 90.10% wt up to 97% wt of copper, at least 0.1% wt of nickel, at least 0.0001% wt and less than 1.00% wt of iron, and 250-3000 ppm wt of oxygen. The composition is suitable for being processed by a process including the electrorefining of copper in an electrolytic cell, wherein the voltage difference over the cell is maintained at less than 1.6 volt, the anode comprises at most 98.0% wt of copper and less than 1.00% wt of iron, the current density through the cell is at least 180 A/m.sup.2 of cathode surface, electrolyte is removed from the cell during the operation at an average refreshing rate of 30-1900% per hour, by overflow of a stream of electrolyte over a cell wall, and a gas is bubbled through the electrolyte in between anode and cathode. The composition is even more suitable after a reduction of its oxygen content.

A metal composition includes from 90.10% wt up to 97% wt of copper, at least 0.1% wt of nickel, at least 0.0001% wt and less than 1.00% wt of iron, and 250-3000 ppm wt of oxygen. The composition is suitable for being processed by a process including the electrorefining of copper in an electrolytic cell, wherein the voltage difference over the cell is maintained at less than 1.6 volt, the anode comprises at most 98.0% wt of copper and less than 1.00% wt of iron, the current density through the cell is at least 180 A/m.sup.2 of cathode surface, electrolyte is removed from the cell during the operation at an average refreshing rate of 30-1900% per hour, by overflow of a stream of electrolyte over a cell wall, and a gas is bubbled through the electrolyte in between anode and cathode. The composition is even more suitable after a reduction of its oxygen content.

Valuable metals, and especially copper and silver, are recovered from a lead containing electrolyte in a process in which the electrolyte is fed into an electrochemical polishing reactor that has a high-surface area cathode at which the electrode potential is controlled to so preferentially reduce copper and silver and to form a pre-treated lead-enriched electrolyte that can then be subjected electrochemical lead recovery.