US 12,458,905 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, TX (US)
Filed by Schlumberger Technology Corporation, Sugar Land, TX (US)
Filed on May 4, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/311,975.
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.
Prior Publication US 2023/0356107 A1, Nov. 9, 2023
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 3/24 (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 3/24 (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)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of recovering lithium from a brine 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 obtained from the lithium intermediate, wherein the one or more concentration operations include at least a membrane separation operation having a plurality of reactors in series each having a semi-permeable membrane, to yield a lithium concentrate and a dilute brine stream from the input stream, and is configured so that the lithium concentrate has a TDS over 120,000 mg/L;
separating the dilute brine stream using a semi-permeable membrane into two streams including a permeate stream, wherein the permeate stream has a TDS under 2,000 mg/L; and
recycling the permeate stream.