Lithium potential assessment of Bandırma boron production plant waste site
摘要
Approximately 73% of the world’s boron reserves are located in Turkiye. As with every ore, boron ores are processed and offered to the service of humanity. During these processes, approximately 400,000 tons of waste is generated at Bandirma Plant. Therefore, sustainable management is essential for boron waste in Bandirma plant. About 11 samples were collected from waste site and inside plant. The samples were categorized according to their origin. Chemical composition and mineralogy were carried out by volumetric method, ICP-OES, XRD, SEM–EDS analysis. As a result of the study, the mineralogical composition and chemistry of the waste were revealed. An average of 540.1 ppm Lithium and 16.80% B2O3 which have quite high economic value were found in the collected waste samples. It means about 2700 tons of Lithium and 800,000 tons of B2O3 when it has been considered 5 million tons of waste in Bandirma deposit area. The economic worth of Li is about $ 1 billion and approximately $ 500 million value for B2O3 in the waste. An integrated system including Li extraction process, B2O3 extraction process and using remaining waste in some other applications will help to achieve sustainable management.