Want to know what are the lithium ore processing equipment? We should first know the technological process of lithium ore extraction. The extraction of lithium ore can only be completed after going through several technological processes, such as crushing - grinding - magnetic separation - flotation - gravity separation (depending on the nature of the ore) - concentration - filtration dehydration. The equipment to be used in each stage is as follows:
Before lithium ore enters the beneficiation stage, the ore needs to be
initially broken. The equipment required in this process stage includes jaw
crusher, cone crusher, feeder and belt conveyor. Jaw crusher or rotary cone
crusher is used for coarse crushing, standard cone crusher is used for medium
crushing, and short-head cone crusher is used for fine crushing.
Jaw crusher
(slot): the crushing function is to periodically press the movable jaw plate
against the fixed jaw plate to crush the ore block sandwiched in it;
Cone
crusher: the ore block is between the inner and outer cones, the outer cone is
fixed, and the inner cone swings eccentrically to crush or break the ore block
sandwiched in it;
Feeder: suitable for short distance transportation of bulk
materials with particle size less than 160 mm;
Belt conveyor: a kind of
equipment used for long-distance transportation of lithium ore. According to the
requirements of the transportation process, it can be transported by a single
machine, or can form a horizontal or inclined conveying system with multiple or
other conveyors.
The grinding stage is just before entering the beneficiation stage, after
grinding and grading to meet the beneficiation granularity, the coarse flotation
machine equipment is used to carry out the coarse separation and desilting
operation, so as to provide reasonable materials for the subsequent
beneficiation operation. The equipment mainly includes lattice ball mill,
overflow ball mill, rod mill, hydrocyclone and spiral classifier.
Lattice
ball mill: suitable for primary grinding or rough grinding of lithium ore,
followed by hydrocyclone or spiral classifier for classification, after which
the qualified particles enter the magnetic separation and flotation stage, and
the unqualified particles return to the ball mill for grinding;
Overflow ball
mill: It is applicable to the secondary grinding or fine grinding of lithium
ore. After fine grinding, it enters the later separation stage.
Magnetic separation generally appears in the lithium ore beneficiation
process as a means to improve the quality of lithium concentrate. It mainly uses
the magnetic difference between minerals to remove the magnetic minerals in the
lithium concentrate and obtain the lithium concentrate with low iron content.
Because the magnetic minerals in lithium ore are mainly weak magnetic minerals,
strong magnetic separators and high gradient magnetic separators are generally
used as the separation equipment at this stage.
Commonly used lithium ore
magnetic separation equipment includes: permanent magnetic cylinder magnetic
separator, high gradient magnetic separator, eccentric rotary magnetic field dry
separator, etc., which can meet various wet and dry environment magnetic
separation and select lithium concentrate.
Ore-type lithium ores generally include spodumene, lepidolite, tremolite,
etc. Flotation is the main separation process for these lithium ores, and its
process flow varies according to the different types of minerals. In this stage,
gas-filled stirring flotation machine and mechanical stirring flotation machine
are often used as the main ones.
KYF type flotation machine and XCF type
flotation machine can be selected for aerated stirring flotation machine, and SF
type flotation machine, JJF type flotation machine and BF type flotation machine
can be selected for mechanical stirring flotation machine. Among them, XCF
flotation machine and KYF flotation machine can form a flotation unit, which can
realize the horizontal configuration of flotation unit without the use of foam
pump, and reduce the infrastructure cost required for step configuration.
For lithium ore containing tantalum and niobium minerals, the combined process of gravity separation and flotation is generally adopted for treatment, and the tantalum and niobium minerals with a large proportion are recovered by gravity separation. At this stage, the optional ones include shaking table, centrifugal concentrator, etc.
The lithium concentrate separated through the above stages will enter the
concentration stage. This stage usually uses high-efficiency transformation
concentrator, deep cone concentrator and other concentration equipment to
complete the lithium concentrate sedimentation, remove excess water and improve
the pulp concentration.
High-efficiency transformation thickener: used for
occasions with large processing capacity and low product concentration, mainly
used for concentrate concentration and tailings dewatering of lithium ore
concentrator;
Deep cone concentrator: used for high concentration
concentration of minerals in lithium ore concentrator, and also for
concentration of other slurry with fine particles and small density and
wastewater treatment.
| Process stage | Equipment name |
| Lithium ore crushing | Jaw crusher |
| Cone crusher | |
| Feeder | |
| Belt conveyor | |
| Lithium ore grinding classification | Grid ball mill |
| Overflow ball mill | |
| Hydrocyclone | |
| Spiral classifier | |
| Lithium ore magnetic separation | Magnetic separator |
| High gradient magnetic separator | |
| Dry separator | |
| Lithium ore flotation | XCF/KYF Flotation unit |
| SF flotation | |
| JJF flotation | |
| Lithium ore gravity separation | shaker |
| Centrifugal concentrator | |
| Concentration dehydration | Thickener |
| Belt filter | |
| rotary disk vacuum filter |
