Saudi Arabia gains access to Russian technology for extracting lithium from water
Axion, a subsidiary of Krastsvetmet, has registered a patent in Saudi Arabia for a method of producing granulated sorbent used to extract lithium. The patent is valid for 20 years and marks the group's first intellectual property protection within the MENA region.
Localization and Application
The registration enables Axion to localize the production of AXIONIT Li-sorb sorbent directly in Saudi Arabia. The product is designed to extract lithium from hydromineral raw materials, including associated oilfield waters, desalination plant effluents, and spodumene concentrate solutions.
Technical data indicates that the sorbent achieves metal recovery rates of up to 99%. The material is characterized by its selectivity for lithium, high capacity, and mechanical strength. This development supports Saudi Arabia's strategy to establish domestic lithium exports in a sector where it currently lacks national technology.
The production method has previously been patented in Russia, Kazakhstan, Iran, Chile, and Argentina.
Ilya Safronov, chemist: High extraction efficiency of up to 99% in industrial scales will depend not only on the sorbent properties but also on the composition of specific raw materials, such as the mineralization of oilfield waters or the purity of the concentrate.
Source: This article was adapted from an original Russian-language publication by Pravda.Ru.
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