We are preparing a unique furnace for lithium tests 1/23 Jun 2020 10:49
We are preparing a unique furnace for lithium tests, revealed the head of Severoceské doly Pegrímek
Severoceské doly from the CEZ Group will test a new method for separating lithium from the mined rock in cooperation with the Institute of Chemical Technology. The excavated rock must be crushed, ground, magnetically disintegrated, ie separated by cinvaldite. The process of recovering lithium from cinvaldite follows. There are several methods for this - for example, the plaster method. It consists in heating the concentrate containing cinvaldite to temperatures of only about 900 degrees, mixing it with additives and then leaching and subsequently separating the lithium. However, we do not want to go down this path. We will test other methods based on melting the concentrate, where the mixture is heated to a high temperature of 1,500 to 1,700 degrees and alkali metal chlorides are released. Lithium is obtained from them. This method is dealt with by the Institute of Chemical Technology in Prague, primarily by engineer Nguyen Hong Vu, who has a patented method. We agreed to work with him. By-products in the form of clinker can be used as a raw material in construction, for the production of cement.
Mr. Hong at the Institute of Chemical Technology made a small furnace about a meter by a meter in the laboratory, and there he performs experiments on samples in the order of decagrams. We need to test it on a larger amount of concentrate to be sure of this process and to be able to rely on it during the construction of the production plant. We therefore negotiated with the investor, CEZ, two years to carry out field tests. After a discussion with experts from various fields, we managed to negotiate cooperation, when the ICT and the cement workers want to build the kiln with the aim of using it for testing and other innovative combustion processes. Such a facility has no analogues in the conditions of the Czech Republic or abroad. It is a furnace into which you can place hundreds of kilogram samples, and scientists will use modern instruments to measure and study ongoing processes. There is such a synergistic effect with the partners that it is very likely that CEZ will not even participate in the construction of the furnace. The furnace will stand next year, where, I will not say.
We want to drill some parts of the deposit to know exactly where to mine. A final feasibility study (2023) is completed at the end of the pilot tests. We want to go the way of the most modern technologies with the use of special wheel mechanisms. In that case, we would at least use foreign experts to introduce these new technologies. As for the workers 'and masters' professions, I believe that we will find suitable ones in the region. Just this week, Seven stopped the last remnants of deep lignite mining at the CSA quarry in the Most region. The dismissed employees are highly qualified miners.
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