Li2TiO3 pebbles reprocessing, recovery of 6Li as Li2CO3

Abstract A process for obtaining Li 2 CO 3 from Li 2 TiO 3 powder by wet chemistry was developed. This is considered useful in view of the recovery of the 6 Li isotope from lithium titanate breeder burned to its end of life in a fusion reactor. The process was optimized with respect to the chemical attack of titanate and the precipitation of carbonate from aqueous solutions to get a powder with chemical and morphological characteristics suitable for its reexploitation in the fabrication of Li 2 TiO 3 pebbles. Reprocessing was also planned to adjust the 6 Li concentration to the desired value and to obtain a homogeneous distribution in the powder batch. Further development concerning reprocessing of sintered Li 2 TiO 3 pebbles is in progress exploiting the results obtained with lithium titanate powders.