- Purification of metal concentrates using ion exchange resin
- Selective removal of impurities like boron results in high-purity precursors
- More efficient and sustainable compared to established processes
Mumbai, March 12, 2025 – LANXESS is offering a new solution for the rapidly growing battery industry. The Lewatit MK 51 ion exchange resin from LANXESS selectively removes boron from metal concentrates, thus enabling the extraction of high-purity raw materials for use in batteries.
In contrast to solvent extraction, ion exchange technology does not employ any environmentally harmful, flammable solvents. This enables users to operate sustainably and also saves investment costs, as the plants do not need to be equipped with explosion protection. Another advantage is that ion exchange plants can be built more compactly.
“With Lewatit MK 51 for the selective removal of boron from metal concentrates like e.g. lithium ore, we are expanding our solution portfolio for the battery industry,” says Dr. Dirk Steinhilber, Application Technology Manager in the Liquid Purification Technologies business unit at LANXESS.
Lewatit MK51 removes boron impurities
To produce high-quality batteries with a high energy density and a long service life, battery metals, such as lithium, nickel and cobalt, must be available in the purest possible form. During ore mining, these metals are often contaminated with boron due to the nature of the ore. This boron must be selectively removed so that the battery metals are as pure as possible after extraction. ”Our Lewatit MK51 is ideal for this purpose because it only binds boron. Other components of the metal concentrates, such as sulfate, hydrogen carbonate and chloride, do not interact with the resin. This facilitates the production of high-purity battery metal concentrates which can then be further processed,“ says Steinhilber.
Sustainable processes
The use of ion exchangers enables highly efficient refining processes that can be used to produce high-performance batteries with a good CO2 and water balance. Large quantities of water are used in the processing of ores – from the cleaning of the raw ores to extracting the pure metals. Recovering and, if necessary, separating the metal ions from this water is essential for both economic and ecological reasons.
Lewatit ion exchange resins can selectively bind specific metal ions. They can also be used to remove by-products, such as zinc from nickel and cobalt electrolytes or cobalt from nickel salt solutions. The metal ions are removed from the aqueous solution and simultaneously concentrated on the ion exchange resin for further processing or recovery from wastewater streams.
LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 6.7 billion in 2023. The company currently has about 12,600 employees in 32 countries. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of chemical intermediates, additives and consumer protection products. LANXESS is listed in the leading sustainability indices of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI World and Europe).
Forward-Looking Statements
This company release contains certain forward-looking statements, including assumptions, opinions, expectations and views of the company or cited from third-party sources. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause the actual results, financial position, development or performance of LANXESS AG to differ materially from the estimations expressed or implied herein. LANXESS AG does not guarantee that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors, nor does it accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the opinions expressed in this presentation or the actual occurrence of the forecast developments. No representation or warranty (expressed or implied) is made as to, and no reliance should be placed on, any information, estimates, targets and opinions contained herein, and no liability whatsoever is accepted as to any errors, omissions or misstatements contained herein, and accordingly, no representative of LANXESS AG or any of its affiliated companies or any of such person’s officers, directors or employees accepts any liability whatsoever arising directly or indirectly from the use of this document.
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