Abstract: Cyclical batch processes for halogenation, such as chlorination, of minerals in a fixed bed using a plurality of cycles which include the steps of at least partially evacuating the bed, charging the bed with reactant gas, maintaining the reactant gas in the bed for a predetermined time, and exhausting reaction products under vacuum. Also disclosed is the chlorination of spodumene in its beta crystalline form produced by calcining spodumene in its naturally-occurring alpha crystalline form to preferentially extract lithium as lithium chloride.

Abstract: Cyclical batch processes for halogenation, such as chlorination, of minerals in a fixed bed using a plurality of cycles which include the steps of at least partially evacuating the bed, charging the bed with reactant gas, maintaining the reactant gas in the bed for a predetermined time, and exhausting reaction products under vacuum. Also disclosed is the chlorination of spodumene in its beta crystalline form produced by calcining spodumene in its naturally-occurring alpha crystalline form to preferentially extract lithium as lithium chloride.

Abstract: A process for the recovery of minerals from the fine particle size fraction of froth flotation feed (slimes), which is conventionally discarded to waste because slimes interfere with efficient flotation. In the disclosed process, the slimes, which also may be termed fines, are scrubbed to clean the slimes, and are then subjected to conventional froth flotation. The scrubbing is done in the presence of an attrition media, in addition to chemical reagents for cleaning and dispersing fine particles. Thus an inert attrition media, of larger particle size than the slimes, is introduced into a scrubber. The process accordingly recovers a fine fraction of the flotation feed that is normally lost. The recovery process may be incorporated into an existing plant design, or as part of a new plant designed to recover material previously discarded in waste disposal areas.