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Valorization of lithium hardrock concentrates into battery raw materials and commodity products.

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Title: Valorization of lithium hardrock concentrates into battery raw materials and commodity products.
Authors: Mowbray, Benjamin A. W. (AUTHOR), Hunt, Camden (AUTHOR), Fuelling, Kalyn M. (AUTHOR), Prawira, Jacqueline (AUTHOR), Jafari, Khashayar (AUTHOR), Strong, Naia (AUTHOR), Chiang, Yet-Ming (AUTHOR)
Source: Science. 5/28/2026, Vol. 392 Issue 6801, p980-984. 5p.
Subjects: Ammonium fluoride, Lithium carbonate, Lithium, Lithium compounds, Aluminum oxide, Mines & mineral resources, Chemical processes, Spodumene
Abstract: The production of lithium chemicals needs to increase to meet rising demand for lithium batteries. Spodumene [LiAl(SiO3)2] is an abundant mineral source of lithium, but its extraction is not cost-competitive with brine resources. Current spodumene-refining methods are energy- and waste-intensive, requiring high-temperature roasting (>1000°C) and chemical leaching. We demonstrate a low-temperature, near-zero-waste process that converts α-spodumene into battery-grade lithium carbonate (Li2CO3), smelter-grade alumina (Al2O3), and cementitious silica (SiO2). Aqueous ammonium fluoride (NH4F) is used as the reagent to solubilize the mineral feedstock at <100°C in a closed-loop process that regenerates the reagent. Techno-economic analysis indicates that this approach may reduce the cost of producing lithium from α-spodumene by >40% and enable cost parity with brines. Editor's summary: The extraction of elements such as lithium and aluminum can require energy-intensive and complex separation processes that may also require large quantities of hydrofluoric acid. Mowbray et al. developed a series of processes that use aqueous ammonium fluoride to simultaneously extract lithium from concentrated α-spodumene while converting the waste stream silicates into valuable products including silica and alumina (see the Perspective by Lee and Manthiram). The closed-loop nature of the processes enables regeneration of the reagents, thus reducing the overall economic costs and environmental footprint. —Marc S. Lavine [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Science is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Valorization of lithium hardrock concentrates into battery raw materials and commodity products.
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  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Mowbray%2C+Benjamin+A%2E+W%2E%22&quot;&gt;Mowbray, Benjamin A. W.&lt;/searchLink&gt; (AUTHOR)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Hunt%2C+Camden%22&quot;&gt;Hunt, Camden&lt;/searchLink&gt; (AUTHOR)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Fuelling%2C+Kalyn+M%2E%22&quot;&gt;Fuelling, Kalyn M.&lt;/searchLink&gt; (AUTHOR)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Prawira%2C+Jacqueline%22&quot;&gt;Prawira, Jacqueline&lt;/searchLink&gt; (AUTHOR)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Jafari%2C+Khashayar%22&quot;&gt;Jafari, Khashayar&lt;/searchLink&gt; (AUTHOR)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Strong%2C+Naia%22&quot;&gt;Strong, Naia&lt;/searchLink&gt; (AUTHOR)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Chiang%2C+Yet-Ming%22&quot;&gt;Chiang, Yet-Ming&lt;/searchLink&gt; (AUTHOR)
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  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;JN&quot; term=&quot;%22Science%22&quot;&gt;Science&lt;/searchLink&gt;. 5/28/2026, Vol. 392 Issue 6801, p980-984. 5p.
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  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Ammonium+fluoride%22&quot;&gt;Ammonium fluoride&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Lithium+carbonate%22&quot;&gt;Lithium carbonate&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Lithium%22&quot;&gt;Lithium&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Lithium+compounds%22&quot;&gt;Lithium compounds&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Aluminum+oxide%22&quot;&gt;Aluminum oxide&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Mines+%26+mineral+resources%22&quot;&gt;Mines &amp; mineral resources&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Chemical+processes%22&quot;&gt;Chemical processes&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Spodumene%22&quot;&gt;Spodumene&lt;/searchLink&gt;
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: The production of lithium chemicals needs to increase to meet rising demand for lithium batteries. Spodumene [LiAl(SiO3)2] is an abundant mineral source of lithium, but its extraction is not cost-competitive with brine resources. Current spodumene-refining methods are energy- and waste-intensive, requiring high-temperature roasting (&gt;1000&#176;C) and chemical leaching. We demonstrate a low-temperature, near-zero-waste process that converts α-spodumene into battery-grade lithium carbonate (Li2CO3), smelter-grade alumina (Al2O3), and cementitious silica (SiO2). Aqueous ammonium fluoride (NH4F) is used as the reagent to solubilize the mineral feedstock at &lt;100&#176;C in a closed-loop process that regenerates the reagent. Techno-economic analysis indicates that this approach may reduce the cost of producing lithium from α-spodumene by &gt;40% and enable cost parity with brines. Editor&#39;s summary: The extraction of elements such as lithium and aluminum can require energy-intensive and complex separation processes that may also require large quantities of hydrofluoric acid. Mowbray et al. developed a series of processes that use aqueous ammonium fluoride to simultaneously extract lithium from concentrated α-spodumene while converting the waste stream silicates into valuable products including silica and alumina (see the Perspective by Lee and Manthiram). The closed-loop nature of the processes enables regeneration of the reagents, thus reducing the overall economic costs and environmental footprint. —Marc S. Lavine [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
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  Data: &lt;i&gt;Copyright of Science is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder&#39;s express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.&lt;/i&gt; (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=194136911
RecordInfo BibRecord:
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1126/science.aec4652
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 5
        StartPage: 980
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Ammonium fluoride
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Lithium carbonate
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Lithium
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Lithium compounds
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Aluminum oxide
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      – SubjectFull: Mines & mineral resources
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      – SubjectFull: Chemical processes
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      – SubjectFull: Spodumene
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      – TitleFull: Valorization of lithium hardrock concentrates into battery raw materials and commodity products.
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              Text: 5/28/2026
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              Y: 2026
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