The Benefits of Using Spodumene

Spodumene is a mineral that belongs to the pyroxene group. It is a lithium aluminum inosilicate and is commonly used as a source of lithium. Lithium is an essential element in various industrial applications, particularly in the production of lithium-ion batteries.

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 Spodumene typically occurs in granitic pegmatites, which are coarse-grained igneous rocks with exceptionally large crystals. It is often found alongside other minerals such as quartz, feldspar, and mica within these pegmatite deposits.

Gravity separation techniques, such as jigging or shaking tables, are often used to separate spodumene from other heavy minerals present in the ore. These methods rely on the differences in density between minerals to achieve separation.

Froth flotation is a common method used to selectively separate spodumene from gangue minerals (unwanted minerals) and impurities. In this process, a collector chemical is added to the ore slurry to enhance the attachment of spodumene particles to air bubbles, allowing them to rise to the surface and form a froth. The froth containing spodumene is then collected and further processed.

Heavy media separation involves suspending the crushed ore in a dense liquid medium with a specific density. The heavier spodumene particles sink while the lighter gangue minerals float, allowing for separation.

Magnetic separation can be used to remove iron-bearing impurities from spodumene ore, enhancing its purity. This is especially important for applications where high-purity lithium compounds are required.

Acid roasting involves heating the spodumene concentrate with sulfuric acid, which converts lithium into soluble lithium sulfate. The resulting material is then subjected to acid leaching to dissolve lithium from the roasted concentrate.

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• Jaw Crushers: Used for primary crushing of spodumene ore.
• Cone Crushers: Used for secondary and tertiary crushing.
• Ball Mills: Used for grinding the crushed ore to finer particles.

• Jigging machines: Used for gravity separation by exploiting the density differences between spodumene and gangue minerals.
• Flotation machines: Used for the froth flotation process, where spodumene particles attach to air bubbles and rise to the surface as froth.
• Magnetic separators: Used to remove iron-bearing impurities from spodumene ore through magnetic attraction.

There are two forms of lithium that can be used in electric vehicles and lithium-ion batteries, lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide. So, the first question may be, where does lithium come from? Lithium comes from spodumene ore via hard rock mining, or from metallic brines stored in man-made ponds in the high deserts around the world, South America primarily.

Generally speaking, when brine is the source material, water has been pumped into the earth, usually in a very remote location, to create a brine that is captured in storage ponds. Over the course of 18-24 months, in ideal conditions, natural evaporation occurs, and the resulting material is lithium carbonate. Through an additional chemical process, the carbonate can be converted into lithium hydroxide.

The alternative to a brine operation is the hard rock mining of spodumene ore. Once the ore is mined, a concentrate is created where the lithium-infused spodumene is filtered and captured. The concentrate then goes to a chemical processing operation where the hydroxide is produced.

The benefits of spodumene ore are numerous. Its strategic abundance in North America, and North Carolina specifically, creates easier access, and lowers overall production costs across the supply chain. It’s also not subject to weather as a means of production, which allows for greater certainty of supply and control of production.