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 lithium metal electrode is manufactured according to a process that bonds a layer of lithium metal to a conductive substrate on one side and to an ion selective membrane on another side. The lithium metal electrode may be integrated into lithium metal batteries. The inventive lithium metal electrode may be manufactured by a process involving electrolysis of lithium ions from an aqueous lithium salt solution through an ion selective membrane, carried out under a blanketing atmosphere having no more than 10 ppm of non-metallic elements, the electrolysis being performed at a constant current between about 10 mA/cm.sup.2 and about 50 mA/cm.sup.2, and wherein the constant current is applied for a time between about 1 minute and about 60 minutes.

Various configurations of a power plant are described. The power plant is configured to supply power to a receiving electrical grid by the combustion of metal powder. The power plant is also configured absorb power by recovering the metal powder from the metal oxide produced by the combustion of the metal powder, with electricity from a source electrical grid.

A process for producing refined lithium metal can include: a) processing a lithium chemical feedstock material using an electrowinning apparatus to produce a crude lithium metal having a first purity; b) combining the crude lithium metal with a carrier material to create a lithium-rich feed alloy; c) introducing the lithium-rich feed alloy as a feedstock material to an electrorefining apparatus and processing the lithium-rich feed alloy using the electrorefining apparatus to separate lithium metal from the carrier material thereby producing i) a refined lithium metal having a second purity that is greater than the first purity and ii) a lithium-depleted alloy that comprises the carrier material and less lithium metal than the lithium-rich feed alloy; and d) extracting the lithium-depleted alloy from the electrorefining apparatus and recycling at least a portion of the lithium-depleted alloy to provide at least a portion of the carrier material used in step b).

A membrane-stacked electrolytic bath for lithium extraction from salt lakes by electrochemical intercalation/deintercalation includes a positioning supporting plate as well as a first compressing plate, a first rubber gasket, at least one electrochemical intercalation/deintercalation unit, a second rubber gasket, and a second compressing plate which are sequentially arranged in an overlapped manner; a compressing apparatus for abutting against the second compressing plate is arranged on one side of the second compressing plate to enable peripheral edges of the first compressing plate, the first rubber gasket, the electrochemical intercalation/deintercalation unit, the second rubber gasket, and the second compressing plate to be sealed; the first compressing plate is provided with water outlet pipes communicated with the electrochemical intercalation/deintercalation unit; and the second compressing plate is provided with water inlet pipes communicated with the electrochemical intercalation/deintercalation unit.

A membrane-stacked electrolytic bath for lithium extraction from salt lakes by electrochemical intercalation/deintercalation includes a positioning supporting plate as well as a first compressing plate, a first rubber gasket, at least one electrochemical intercalation/deintercalation unit, a second rubber gasket, and a second compressing plate which are sequentially arranged in an overlapped manner; a compressing apparatus for abutting against the second compressing plate is arranged on one side of the second compressing plate to enable peripheral edges of the first compressing plate, the first rubber gasket, the electrochemical intercalation/deintercalation unit, the second rubber gasket, and the second compressing plate to be sealed; the first compressing plate is provided with water outlet pipes communicated with the electrochemical intercalation/deintercalation unit; and the second compressing plate is provided with water inlet pipes communicated with the electrochemical intercalation/deintercalation unit.

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 Li ion recovery member and a Li recovery device may prevent occurrence of breakage of a permselective membrane and implement stable Li ion recovery for a long period of time even when a size of a Li recovery device is increased. The Li ion recovery member may include: a permselective membrane including a Li ion conductor made of an inorganic substance; electrodes; and a reticular elastic body, in which the electrodes are provided on at least one main surface side of the permselective membrane, at least one electrode of the electrodes is a porous electrode or a membrane electrode, and the porous electrode or the membrane electrode is sandwiched between the reticular elastic body and the permselective membrane. The Li recovery device may include a Li ion recovery electrolytic cell including the Li ion recovery member and configured to recover Li ions by electrodialysis.

A Li ion recovery member and a Li recovery device may prevent occurrence of breakage of a permselective membrane and implement stable Li ion recovery for a long period of time even when a size of a Li recovery device is increased. The Li ion recovery member may include: a permselective membrane including a Li ion conductor made of an inorganic substance; electrodes; and a reticular elastic body, in which the electrodes are provided on at least one main surface side of the permselective membrane, at least one electrode of the electrodes is a porous electrode or a membrane electrode, and the porous electrode or the membrane electrode is sandwiched between the reticular elastic body and the permselective membrane. The Li recovery device may include a Li ion recovery electrolytic cell including the Li ion recovery member and configured to recover Li ions by electrodialysis.