Exploration on the Synchronous Extraction of Rubidium, Caesium, and Lithium Elements from Lepidolite by the High-Pressure Alkaline Leaching Process and the Leaching Kinetics
摘要
Low-grade rubidium (Rb), caesium (Cs) and lithium (Li) were extracted simultaneously and efficiently from lepidolite by the high-pressure alkaline leaching process. For lepidolite after roasting at 850 °C for 3 h, the extraction rates of Rb, Cs, and Li reached 99.03, 98.11, and 98.52%, respectively, under the autoclave alkaline leaching conditions of 50% NaOH, a NaOH to lepidolite ore mass ratio of 4:1, 220 °C for 4 h. Kinetic analyses showed that Rb, Cs, and Li leaching conformed to the internal diffusion control model and the surface chemical reaction control model, with apparent activation energies of 16.03 kJ/mol (Rb) and 27.35 kJ/mol (Cs) and 29.49 kJ/mol (Li), respectively. Technical analysis of mineral phases before and after the leaching reaction indicates that the reaction system causes substantial disruption to the spodumene mineral phase. This method provides a green and efficient way to recover rare alkali elements from lepidolite.
Graphical Abstract