Development of efficient methods to extract lithium from Alberta oilfield brines

锂是一种越来越有价值的资源，用于润滑剂、玻璃和陶瓷的制造以及用于生产在诸如蜂窝电话和电动汽车之类的产品中发现的锂离子电池（LIB）。 由于锂离子电池市场的持续增长，在可预见的未来，锂的需求预计将继续上升。 加拿大西部沉积盆地Leduc地层中现有的油田卤水中存在潜在的未开发锂储层，该盆地位于阿尔伯塔大部分地区的下方。 虽然Leduc盐水含有相当高浓度的锂，但需要高效且低成本的提取方法来提取资源并将最终产品碳酸锂推向市场。在本研究项目中，我们将继续与位于阿尔伯塔卡尔加里的矿产勘探公司E3 Metals Corporation（E3）合作，我们与该公司于2017年7月开始了NSERC Engage项目。 E3拥有Leduc水库上超过50万公顷的金属和工业许可证。 我们的目标是评估和开发针对Leduc卤水的锂提取技术，包括评估可能导致更有效的锂提取的组合技术。 在评估这些实验室实验的结果后，我们将与E3合作，在授予期的后半段将该技术扩大到锂回收试点工厂。 如果成功，该项目将成为加拿大西部第一个锂提取厂，并可能成为该地区的一个新产业。

Lithium is an increasingly valuable resource, having uses in lubricants, the manufacture of glass and ceramics, and in producing lithium ion batteries (LIB) found in products such as cellular telephones and electric cars. Due to continued growth in the LIB market, the demand for lithium in the foreseeable future is projected to continue to rise. A potentially untapped reservoir of lithium lies in existing oilfield brines found in the Leduc Formation of the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, which underlies a great portion of Alberta. While the Leduc brines contain considerable concentrations of lithium, efficient and low-cost extraction methods are needed to extract the resource and bring the final product, lithium carbonate, to market. In this research project we will continue to collaborate with E3 Metals Corporation (E3), a minerals exploration company located in Calgary, Alberta, with whom we have an NSERC Engage project that began in July 2017. E3 has the rights to over 500,000 hectares of metallic and industrial permits overlying the Leduc Reservoir. Our aim is to evaluate and develop lithium extraction technologies targeted to the Leduc brines, including the evaluation of combined technologies that may result in more efficient lithium extraction. After evaluating the results of these benchtop experiments, we will work with E3 to scale up the technology to a lithium recovery pilot plant in the second half of the granting period. If successful, this project could lead to the first lithium extraction plant in western Canada, and potentially a new industry for the region.