Influence of calcination temperatures on lithium deportment by screening hard rock lithium

Calcination of spodumene is a pre-treatment stage in preparation for sulfation roasting and leaching in lithium recovery. During calcination, α-spodumene (less reactive, monoclinic crystal structure) is converted to β-spodumene (more reactive, tetragonal crystal structure). A third, metastable γ-phase has been identified at lower temperatures than full conversion to the β-phase. It has been previously observed that calcination greatly alters the physical properties of the various minerals in pegmatite ores, impacting comminution energy and liberation. Thus, this work investigates the relationships between calcination temperatures and the physical behaviour of hard rock lithium ores. The results showed that the increase in calcination temperature resulted in a higher lithium deportment in the finest size fraction (−0.6 mm) and thus a higher lithium grade and recovery. The samples calcined at 813.15 K and 1223.15 K did not show a significant increase in lithium grades in the finest size fraction. This work shows the incremental change in the physical properties of various minerals in the ore with increasing calcination temperature.