Simulative adsorption of Li+ from the saline lake brine by the H2TiO3-lithium adsorbent synthesized by the sol-gel process

Abstract:

The Li2TiO3 nanoparticles were prepared by the sol-gel process by employing lithium acetate and tetrabutyl titanate as lithium and titanium sources, respectively, followed by modification with hydrochloric acid to obtain H2TiO3-lithium adsorbent (titanium lithium ionic sieve). Simulation of the saline lake brine was prepared, followed by adding sodium hydroxide to the prepared solution before adsorption to remove Mg2+ as well as Ca2+. Simulative adsorption of Li+ by the obtained adsorbent from the saline lake brine was carried out. The results indicate that the adsorption capacity of H2TiO3-lithium adsorbent for Li+ is 8.25 mg·g-1, and the partition coefficient (Kd) of Li+ is calculated to be 24.54 mL·g-1, which is much larger than that of Na+ (0.52 mL·g-1) and K+ (0.97 mL·g-1). Li+ to Na+ separation factor () is 47.2, and Li+ to K+ separation factor () is 25.3, indicating that the synthesized adsorbent has an excellent selective adsorption performance to Li+