Abstract
The paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the lithium content in aqueous samples of various origins in order to assess the prospects for their industrial use. It has been established that the most appropriate source of lithium is brine formed during desalination of seawater at the MAEK LLP enterprise, with a mass concentration of lithium of 2.10 mg/l (0.0021%). Spectral and X-ray phase analyses have shown that the main mineral phase in the solid sediment is calcium sulfate (gypsum) with a fraction of up to 95.2%, with admixtures of bassanite and halite. It has been established that lithium is predominantly preserved in the liquid phase after evaporation, which makes it advisable to use methods of extraction from solution, such as ion exchange, membrane technologies and sorption processes. The ionic-salt composition of the brines indicates a sodium chloride type with high mineralization, the presence of sulfates, magnesium and other ions, which requires preliminary preparation of the solution before lithium extraction. Despite the low concentration of lithium, the combination of physical and chemical characteristics of the studied brines allows them to be considered as an additional source of lithium raw materials.