27-11 Recovering lithium and cobalt from petroleum produced water using dolomite: pH, temperature, and surface area factors

Session: Environmental Geochemistry and Health (Posters)

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Abstract:

We conducted batch reaction experiments to investigate the relationship between pH, temperature, and dolomite particle size on recovery mechanisms of lithium and cobalt from synthetic petroleum produced water (PW) containing several competing metal cations commonly found in PW. Our results demonstrate the ability of dolomite to recover lithium and cobalt from PW through precipitation and surface complexation reactions on dolomite surface. XRD analysis indicates the precipitation of zabuyelite (Li₂CO₃), spherocobaltite (CoCO₃) and heterogenite (CoO(OH)) minerals on dolomite surface with carbonate ions sourced from the dissolution of dolomite. Carbonate ions supply from dolomite dissolution can be enhanced by increasing temperature and pH. Increased surface area availability of small dolomite particles increased the recovery efficiency of lithium and cobalt. This behavior indicates that surface complex reactions play a more important role in precipitation reactions for lithium than for cobalt. The presence of lithium and cobalt on dolomite surface was confirmed by SEM-EDS analysis. Changes in the particle size of dolomite due to dissolution or precipitation reactions were confirmed by digital image analysis of dolomite particles before and after the batch reactions. This study demonstrates the critical interplay between surface area availability, precipitation mechanisms, and dolomite dissolution in determining metal recovery efficiency, while highlighting the importance of optimizing physicochemical conditions for selective metal removal from complex brines.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-4800

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