Lithium to come from Chinese coal

You may not like all Chinese things but you can't do away with this one - lithium sourced from coal in China!

Lithium is an essential component of rechargeable batteries used in phones, laptops, tablets and in many electric vehicles.

The coal from China could become a major source of the metal, according to a review of the geochemistry by scientists.

Shenjun Qin of Hebei University of Engineering in Handan, China, and colleagues reported that lithium has been found dispersed and even anomalously enriched in coal deposits, and is potentially extractable.

"Although the investigation into lithium recovery from coal ash is still at a laboratory scale, this progress will promote the green and efficient application of coals and would benefit to the lithium-demanding industry," Qin wrote.

The team has also reviewed two techniques for lithium extraction.

The first, a patented technology for extracting both lithium and aluminium metals from coal ash involves sulphur sintering the ash and acid leaching the metal from the solution to obtain lithium carbonate in a yield of 95.6 percent, actually recovery of the metal is 60 percent.

The second approach, alkali sintering avoids the need for the sulphur step but has a lower yield at 85.3 percent and a recovery of 55 percent.

Worldwide annual consumption of lithium grew from 15,100 tonnes in 2003 to 37,000 tonnes by 2012, and the demand is expected to rise.

The findings were published in the International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Technology.