TOC and IC Measurements for Lithium Refining Processes

User Benefits

- By using a TOC-L analyzer, TOC and IC can be analyzed in lithium salt solutions. - Using the combustion tube kit for high-salt samples can extend the lifespan of the combustion tube and catalyst, and reduce maintenance frequency. - The automatic dilution function helps reduce the effort required for sample dilution.

Introduction

With the expansion of the lithium-ion battery market, lithium consumption is rapidly increasing. As a result, in addition to traditional sources (e.g., salt lakes, mines), new sources of lithium are also being explored. Recently, black mass and oil brine have attracted attention as alternative raw materials and the direct lithium extraction (DLE) method has been developed as a technology for efficiently recovering and refining lithium from those sources. With the DLE method, lithium is extracted at high concentrations from those new raw materials and the resulting solution is refined to enhance its purity. However, the extracted solutions contain organic substances derived from the raw materials that can interfere with the refining process and reduce both its efficiency and speed. Therefore, the carbon reduction treatments implemented to address those issues have made quantitative quality control of organic substances crucial. The effectiveness of carbon reduction treatments and the quantity of organic substances in the refined solution can be evaluated in terms of the total organic carbon (TOC) content. In recent years, the demand for lithium hydroxide (LiOH) has been increasing due to its use in the production of high-performance cathode active materials. Lithium hydroxide has the property of absorbing carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere and converting it into lithium carbonate (Li₂CO₃). However, the resulting lithium carbonate can adversely affect the performance of cathode active materials, making careful quality control essential. In that context, the carbonate content can be evaluated as inorganic carbon (IC) using a TOC analyzer. This article describes examples of using a TOC-L total organic carbon analyzer to measure TOC and IC levels in lithium solutions refined using the DLE method.

December 16, 2025 GMT