US Patent 10131968 Recovery of lithium from silicate minerals

A process is disclosed for recovering lithium from a lithium-containing silicate mineral. The process comprises mixing the silicate mineral with nitric acid. The process also comprises subjecting the mixture to a leaching process having conditions such that lithium values in the silicate mineral are leached into an aqueous phase as lithium nitrate. The leaching process conditions may be controlled such that non-lithium values in the silicate mineral tend not to be leached into the aqueous phase.