Abstract: A new method for extracting lithium from salt lake brine, comprising the following steps: a salt lake old brine raw material, desorption liquid, low-magnesium water, and adsorption tail liquid pass through an old brine feeding pipe (2), a desorption liquid feeding pipe (4), a low-magnesium water top desorption liquid feeding pipe (3), and an adsorption tail liquid top desorption liquid feeding pipe (11), respectively, which are located above and below a rotary disc of a multi-way valve system (1); and after respectively entering corresponding adsorption columns (6) by means of a duct and channel within the multi-way valve system (1), the entire process procedure is completed from an adsorption tail liquid discharge pipe (7), a qualified desorption liquid discharge pipe (10), a lithium-containing old brine discharge pipe (8), and an adsorption tail liquid top desorption liquid discharge pipe (5); and the adsorption columns (6) are connected in series or in parallel by means of channels located in the multi-way