Influence of pH on distribution coefficients of lithium and impurity elements in sorption

Sulfonation of chitosan for enhanced sorption of Li(I) from acidic solutions – Application to metal recovery from waste Li-ion mobile battery

“…Xu et al [23] reported the synthesis of sulfonated cellulose microspheres (activated with glycidyl methacrylate) and applied this new sorbent for Li(I) sorption at mild pH (around 6-8). Volkova et al [24] discussed the order of affinity for Li(I) of a series of cation-exchange resins bearing sulfonic groups (KU 2-8, Purolite C100, and Resinex KW-8), carboxylic groups (SG-1, Purolite C104FL, and Resinex KW-H) and phosphoric groups (Purolite S957). While comparing the distribution coefficients of Li and other impurities (Na, K, Mg Ca and Fe cations) at different pH values, they conclude that carboxylic-based resins are highly efficient for separating alkali metals from lithium (not sorbed), at pH 2-3.…”