Adsorptive Li+ mining from liquid resources by H2TiO3: Equilibrium, kinetics, thermodynamics, and mechanisms

•H2TiO3 was effectively used for adsorptive Li+ recovery from liquid resources.•H+ accumulation critically reduced Li+ capture but improved at suitable conditions.•H2TiO3 showed good stability and consistent Li+ uptake even after several cycles.•Highest Li+ adsorptive capacity (94.45 mg g−1) is superior to other known ion sieves.•H2TiO3 can potentially replace manganese-based ion sieves for industrial Li+ mining.

Metatitanic acid (H2TiO3) is an emerging lithium ion sieve (LIS) that can potentially replace the well-known manganese-based LIS. Systematic adsorption studies on the effects of solution pH, solid/liquid ratio, temperature, and feed concentration were conducted. H+ accumulation critically limited the Li+ capacity (qe), but was circumvented under optimal conditions. Li+ adsorption was Langmuir-type and followed pseudo-second-order rate model; thermodynamic parameters reveal its feasibility, spontaneity, and endothermicity. H2TiO3 was highly stable and reusable; its highest qe (94.5 mg g−1) is superior over other known LIS. Li+ was effectively recovered from seawater, demonstrating its high industrial potential for aqueous Li+ mining.

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