Recovery of lithium from alkaline brine by solvent extraction with β-diketone

A 7-stage extraction process was conducted in a mixer-settler for 30 h to reach stable state, average extraction rate of lithium was 96% and lithium concentration in stripping solution was 15 g/L. Concentration of impurity ions in stripping liquor was < 1 g/L. No third phase or emulsification was observed during the operation. In summary, HBTA-TOPO-kerosene extraction system was verified an effective method to recovery lithium from alkaline brine.