Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) Equipment & Process Solutions
ENCO is a global leader in equipment and process for lithium extraction from brine, and has many operational projects.
Process Flow
Raw materials: underground brine , oil field drilling wastewater
Front end: Pre-processing and DLE column
- Membrane pretreatment: NF and UF are used to remove TSS, colloids and scale ions to ensure stable equipment operation.
- Continuous DLE adsorption for lithium extraction: High-performance lithium adsorbents selectively adsorb lithium ions, and after desorption, lithium-rich eluent is obtained, achieving efficient separation of lithium from magnesium, sodium, and potassium.
- Membrane system purification and concentration: NF membranes retain divalent ions, while RO membranes concentrate monovalent lithium salts to produce a high-purity lithium chloride solution.
Back end: Dual-product parallel production line
Route 1: Lithium Carbonate Production Line
- Resin for calcium, magnesium, and boron removal: Deeply removes trace amounts of calcium, magnesium, and boron impurities.
- Evaporation: Concentrate to the concentration required for lithium precipitation.
Lithium precipitation: Sodium carbonate is added to precipitate lithium carbonate, which is then separated, washed, and dried to obtain battery-grade lithium carbonate.
Route 2: Lithium hydroxide production line
- Potassium removal with resin: Strictly control potassium ion content.
- BPED: directly converts lithium chloride into lithium hydroxide solution and HCl as a byproduct.
- Evaporation: Concentration and crystallization yield lithium hydroxide monohydrate.
Advantages of ENCO Technology
- Flexible product manufacturing configuration, with two parallel production lines so to adapt to market demands.
- Reuse of HCl as a byproduct from BPED
- Multi-stage deep purification, achieving battery-grade Lithium carbonate
- Modular design reduces on-site construction costs
Conclusion
The future of energy relies on efficient, clean, and fast resource extraction. The traditional methods of the past will not power the future. By combining advanced membrane pretreatment, continuous ion adsorption, highly flexible dual-product finishing lines, and innovative multi-element recovery modules, ENCO provides a complete engineering solution. We help you transform difficult raw water into the highest-value battery materials and profitable commercial byproducts, ensuring your operation is highly profitable, environmentally sustainable, and ready for the demands of tomorrow.