Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology

The reaction between Li₂CO₃ and Cl₂ was investigated to verify its occurrence during a carbon-anode-based oxide reduction (OR) process. The reaction temperature was identified as a key factor that determines the reaction rate and maximum conversion ratio. It was found that the reaction should be conducted at or above 500℃ to convert more than 90% of the Li₂CO₃ to LiCl. Experiments conducted at various total flow rate (Q) / initial sample weight (W_i) ratios revealed that the reaction rate was controlled by the Cl₂ mass transfer under the experimental conditions adopted in this work. A linear increase in the progress of reaction with an increase in Cl₂ partial pressure (pCl₂) was observed in the pCl₂ region of 2.03–10.1 kPa for a constant Q of 100 mL∙min⁻1 and W_i of 1.00 g. The results of this study indicate that the reaction between Li₂CO₃ and Cl₂ is fast at 650℃ and the reaction is feasible during the OR process.

Keywords

Lithium carbonate, Chlorination reaction, Oxide reduction, Pyroprocessing, Carbon anode