Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE)

Solutions for DLE Technology

Based on its core research and production systems for adsorbents, ion membranes, and supporting equipment, combined with technical and engineering support from the Provincial Brine Extraction Engineering Research Center, Haipu can offer customized full-process solutions for the extraction of lithium resources from brine. Additionally, Haipu provides construction and comprehensive operational management services.

The lithium extraction process is chemical-free, environmentally friendly, and maintains the composition of other brine components, allowing the brine to be directly reinjected into the salt lake. Compared to traditional salt lake lithium extraction technologies such as membrane methods, calcination, extraction, and evaporation precipitation, Haipu’s technology achieves high lithium extraction efficiency while significantly reducing energy consumption. It offers revolutionary breakthroughs in cost, lithium recovery rate, and production cycle. With low investment and operating costs, minimal water consumption, and short production cycles, this new technology is suitable for direct extraction of lithium from raw brine in complex brine conditions in salt lake regions.

Replace and Enhance Existing Adsorption Products, Expand Application Scenarios for Lithium Extraction Adsorbents

Most existing lithium extraction adsorbents are only suitable for salt lakes in regions such as Qinghai and Argentina in South America. However, the development of lithium extraction adsorbents for other environments, such as underground brine from oil and gas fields, carbonate-type salt lakes in Tibet, and low-magnesium sulfate-type salt lakes overseas, has long been stagnant. With the exponential increase in demand for lithium battery raw materials in recent years, new lithium extraction adsorbents that can rapidly enhance lithium resource extraction potential have significant research breakthroughs and commercialization value.

At the same time, the value of adsorption and impurity removal products that can improve the quality of end lithium products and increase lithium recovery rates is rising. By combining innovative technologies for the efficient extraction of rare elements such as rubidium and cesium, it is possible to quickly integrate and deploy full-process adsorption technologies for salt lake resource extraction. This integration assists in achieving a perfect closed-loop for the green recycling of lithium battery resources throughout their lifecycle.

The main feature of the short-bed process is that the resin operates under moderate load conditions, primarily utilizing the exchange groups within the surface layer of the resin. This does not achieve a high system load capacity, thus requiring fine-particle resins with a large specific surface area. Such resins ensure the ion exchange speed within the device, which is also the reason for the high processing capacity of the device. The particle size of the adsorption resin generally needs to be between 100 mesh and 200 mesh. Haipu has successfully prepared such resins.

Low Water Consumption Lithium Extraction Technology

Development of Aluminum-Based Lithium Extraction Adsorbents Based on Small Particle Size Polystyrene Framework, with In-Situ Growth of LiCl·2Al(OH)3·nH2O in Resin Pores and Surface.

Achieving the integration of active component synthesis and powder granulation molding avoids the cumbersome processes of first synthesizing the powder, then preparing and molding it. By leveraging the uniform small particle size of resin bead structures and the advantages of nanoscale pores, the adsorbent can achieve extremely high packing density and adsorption exchange rates, with exchange rates up to 400% higher than traditional adsorbents. Utilizing Haipu’s patented short-bed adsorption device with full-bed filling allows for high flow rate working conditions, saving on resin usage. Its excellent exchange kinetics reduce the length of the exchange zone, and the use of counter-current regeneration saves system water consumption, making it suitable for water-scarce regions such as parts of Xinjiang and overseas salt lake brine lithium extraction.