Classification of lithium carbonate

Classified by quality grade

Lithium carbonate is divided into industrial grade lithium carbonate and battery grade lithium carbonate based on its main component content, particle size, chemical indicators, and purity, both of which have corresponding national or industry standards.

Within the industry, lithium carbonate is further divided into the following categories based on its principal component content: those with a principal component content of 99.5% or more and impurities meeting standards are called battery grade lithium carbonate; If the main component content is above 99.5%, but some impurity indicators do not meet the requirements of battery grade, it is called quasi battery grade lithium carbonate; The main component content is between 99.2% and 99.5%, but with relatively high impurities, it is called industrial grade lithium carbonate. The main component content below 99.2% is called crude lithium carbonate, and some are also called industrial grade lithium carbonate. At present, the production distribution of battery grade lithium carbonate and industrial grade lithium carbonate is relatively even, and the production, sales, and incremental space of battery grade lithium carbonate are larger. Most crude lithium carbonate can be processed and purified to become battery grade lithium carbonate for use. Lithium carbonate production line, pressure vessel, Jiangxi Zongheng Special Equipment Co., Ltd

Classified by raw materials

The raw materials for preparing lithium carbonate mainly include spodumene, lithium mica, and salt lake brine, while the industrial routes for raw materials such as lithium clay and lithium feldspar have not yet been formed on a large scale. At present, there are differences in the maturity of various raw material technologies. Battery grade lithium carbonate is mainly prepared from spodumene, while industrial grade lithium carbonate is mainly prepared from lithium mica or salt lake brine.

Lithium carbonate production enterprises using different raw materials also have certain differences in their main products. Among the lithium extraction enterprises in the ore series, most of the lithium extraction enterprises from spodumene produce battery grade lithium carbonate, while mica lithium extraction enterprises produce a small portion of industrial grade lithium carbonate; The ratio of industrial grade lithium carbonate and battery grade lithium carbonate produced by lithium extraction enterprises from salt lake brine is 8:2 or 7:3.

Compared to other methods, the technology of extracting lithium from ore is mature, with stable and reliable product quality, which has advantages in producing high-quality battery grade products. However, the total amount of lithium resources in brine is large, the lithium extraction process is relatively simple, and the energy consumption requirements are low. Especially in South American salt lakes, crude lithium carbonate can be directly precipitated, and the cost is significantly lower than that of extracting lithium from ore.