Purification of lithium compounds for application in energy storage devices

Lithium compounds with high-purity chemical specifications are key-materials in the new energetic sustainability era; their most important applications aim towards storage of great amount of energy, replacing fossil combustibles and promoting the use of solar energy inclusively during the night periods. A simple purification process for the lithium hydroxide and carbonate compounds is proposed in this paper in an economically viable and sustainable procedure, envisaging subsequent application in the production of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries for portable devices, electric vehicles batteries and energy storage devices in industrial scale. The referred process is based on knowledge and application of the solubility properties of the involved substances, on a series of consecutive washings and filtrations for the lithium carbonate, and solubilization and precipitation of impurities for the lithium hydroxide, in order to eliminate impurities with low-loss of the material of interest. Basic equipment was used, hence reducing process cost and increasing its viability.