Simulation Experiments on Solar Pond Crystallization of Carbonate-type Saline Lake Brine
碳酸盐型盐湖卤水的模拟太阳池结晶试验

The solar pond plays an important role in the process of lithium extraction from the carbonate saline lake in that it can store solar energy to extract lithium carbonate. The authors used the heating method for the first time to perform simulation experiments on solar pond crystallization in laboratory. In the experiments, the evaporation quantity of brine increased with increasing temperatures, but the difference in evaporation quantity had little effect on salt precipitation. In different time intervals, the concentration of Mg2+ in precipitated salt was higher than that of Li+ in 24 hours and gradually decreased with time, whereas the concentration of Li+ increased. Moreover, the precipitation rate of Mg2+ gradually decreased with time while the precipitation rate of Li+ on the whole remained constant. In simulation experiments at different temperatures, the total precipitation rates of the main components of the brine had a positive correlation with temperatures. The concentration lowering rates of CO32? and Li+ were higher than those of other components, and the precipitation rates of CO32? and Li+ were by far higher than those of other components. The main mineral identified by microscopic observation at different temperatures was zabuyelite.