Mechanism and kinetics of lithium vapor capture in a high-temperature packed bed of kaolinite

This study investigated the characteristics of high-temperature lithium vapor-capturing reaction in a packed bed of calcined kaolin particles. The packed-bed sorption experiments were carried in the a temperature range of 700–900 °C. The high-temperature reaction between LiCl vapor and calcined kaolin sorbent generated lithium aluminum silicate (Li2O·Al2O3·2SiO2). An increase in kaolin bed temperature results in an increase in lithium-capturing rate, but it has no effect on the maximum lithium uptake. The resistance of LiCl vapor diffusion into the pores of calcined kaolin particles was negligible, and the chemical reaction at the kaolin surface controlled the overall sorption reaction rates by up to 60% of metakaolinite conversion. The order of the reaction between metakaolinite and LiCl vapor was determined as 1.94 and its activation energy was estimated as 7.95 kcal/mol according to the Arrhenius relationship.