US 12,280,322 B2
Lithium recovery using aqueous sources
Gary W. Sams, Houston, TX (US); Dominic Vincent Perroni, Sugar Land, TX (US); Prasanna Nirgudkar, Sugar Land, TX (US); Florence Binet, Houston, TX (US); and Rod William Shampine, Sugar Land, TX (US)
Assigned to SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION, Sugar Land, AS (US)
Filed by Schlumberger Technology Corporation, Sugar Land, TX (US)
Filed on Feb. 2, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/430,935.
Application 18/430,935 is a continuation of application No. 18/311,975, filed on May 4, 2023.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/374,441, filed on Sep. 2, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/364,142, filed on May 4, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. PCT/US2022/051500 (WO), filed on Dec. 1, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0165539 A1, May 23, 2024
Int. Cl. B01D 11/04 (2006.01); B01D 15/20 (2006.01); B01D 15/36 (2006.01); B01D 61/02 (2006.01); B01D 61/04 (2006.01); B01D 61/44 (2006.01); B01D 61/58 (2006.01); C22B 3/22 (2006.01); C22B 26/12 (2006.01); C22C 24/00 (2006.01); C25C 1/02 (2006.01)
CPC B01D 11/0415 (2013.01) [B01D 15/203 (2013.01); B01D 15/361 (2013.01); B01D 61/026 (2022.08); B01D 61/04 (2013.01); B01D 61/44 (2013.01); B01D 61/58 (2013.01); C22B 3/22 (2013.01); C22B 26/12 (2013.01); C22C 24/00 (2013.01); C25C 1/02 (2013.01); B01D 2311/04 (2013.01); B01D 2315/24 (2022.08); B01D 2317/022 (2013.01); B01D 2317/025 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of recovering lithium from a lithium source, comprising:
extracting lithium from an extraction feed using direct lithium extraction in an extraction stage to yield a lithium intermediate;
performing one or more concentration operations, each concentration operation concentrating an input stream to yield an output feed, wherein the input stream is obtained from the lithium intermediate and/or the extraction feed is obtained from the output feed;
generating a low TDS stream as a permeate from any of the one or more concentration operations, wherein the low TDS stream is recycled or used as fresh water,
wherein the one or more concentration operations include a reverse osmosis operation upstream of a counter-flow reverse osmosis operation, wherein the reverse osmosis separates the input stream into a preconcentrated stream and a permeate stream using a semi-permeable membrane, wherein the permeate stream is the low TDS stream,
wherein the one or more concentration operations include a counter-flow reverse osmosis operation, wherein the counter-flow reverse osmosis includes flowing the preconcentrated stream into a plurality of reactors in series, each containing a semi-permeable membrane separating the reactor into a first volume and a second volume, wherein the preconcentrated stream flows as a first stream sequentially into the first volume of each reactor and a second stream flows sequentially into the second volume of each reactor counter-current to the first stream, wherein the first stream exiting the plurality of reactors yields a concentrated stream and the second stream exiting the plurality of reactors yields a dilute brine stream,
wherein the dilute brine stream is recycled into the reverse osmosis operation.
 
8. A method of recovering lithium from a lithium source, comprising:
extracting lithium from an extraction feed using direct lithium extraction in an extraction stage to yield a lithium intermediate;
performing one or more concentration operations, each concentration operation concentrating an input stream to yield an output feed, wherein the input stream is obtained from the lithium intermediate and/or the extraction feed is obtained from the output feed;
wherein the one or more concentration operations includes
a first membrane separation operation, having a first semi-permeable membrane, yielding from the input stream a preconcentrated stream and a permeate stream,
a second membrane separation operation, wherein the preconcentrated stream flows into a plurality of reactors in series, each containing a semi-permeable membrane separating the reactor into a first volume and a second volume, wherein the preconcentrated stream flows sequentially as a first stream into the first volume of each reactor, wherein the first stream exiting the plurality of reactors yields the output stream, and wherein the second membrane separation operation yields a dilute brine stream that exits the second volume of at least one of the reactors, wherein the dilute brine stream is recycled into the first membrane separation operation,
wherein the at least one concentration operations includes pressurizing the input stream so that the input stream, preconcentrated stream and first stream are pressurized during the first and second membrane separation operations.