APPLICATION NOTE

OREAS 999 Spodumene Concentrate

SUMMARY

The application note summarizes the digestion of OREAS 999, a Spodumene Concentrate Certified Reference Material using ColdBlock Digestion CBM Technology.

Instrument:ColdBlock CBM sample digester, chiller, HF liners, ICP-OES
Published:November 2022
Digestion Time:30 Minutes
Acid Used:Aqua Regia, HF & H3BO3
Average ColdBlock Recovery vs. CRM:
  • 99% Lithium
  • 97% Calcium
  • 105% Magnesium

METHODOLOGY

  1. Chiller temperature was set to -5°C
  2. 0.25g of each sample was weighed in triplicate and placed into ColdBlock™ Digestion HF compatible liners
  3. 20 mL Aqua Regia + 3mL Hydrofluoric Acid was added
  4. Sample was digested at 80% power for 20 minutes
  5. 20mL of 4% Boric Acid was added, and sample was digested again at 80% power for 10 minutes
  6. Sample was cooled and bulked to 50mL using 2% HNO3 v/v

DISCUSSION

  • The addition of Boric Acid will help re-solubilize any Fluoride precipitates that form such as Ca, Mg & Al
  • After 30 minutes the samples appear clear, and no visible material remains

OREAS 999 after bulk-up

OREAS 999 is a spodumene concentrate derived from the processing of lithium pegmatite ores sourced from the Greenbushes area of Southwestern Australia

Results

OREAS 999

20mL AR + 3mL HF – 80% 20 minutes + 20mL 4% H3BO3 80% 10 minutes

Element

Certified

4-Acid (ppm)

ColdBlock Result A

ColdBlock Result B

ColdBlock Result C

Average (ppm)

Stdev

% RSD

% Recovery

Al

107700

111155

112839

115408

113134

1749

1.5%

105%

Ca

4500

4313

4307

4407

4343

46

1.1%

97%

Fe

16200

16043

16231

16638

16304

248

1.5%

101%

K

5000

4941

4593

4795

4777

143

3.0%

96%

Mg

4100

4359

4395

4134

4296

115

2.7%

105%

Na

6930

6555

6653

6781

6663

92

1.4%

96%

Li

26500

25858

26199

26855

26304

414

1.6%

99%

Click here to download the Application Note in PDF format.

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