Interlayer confinement imprinting to enhance the feasibility of Li/Al-LDHs in lithium extraction from sulfate-type brines

Lithium/aluminum layered double hydroxide imprinted with SO42- (ILDH) was prepared to enhance the lithium adsorption performance in low grade sulfate-type brines. The systematical characterization confirmed the ILDH had a morphology of two-dimensional lamella that was less randomly arranged than the traditional lithium/aluminum layered double hydroxide (TLDH). ILDH demonstrated a significantly enhanced adsorption performance in the long-term adsorption–desorption cycle replying on the excellent structural stability from the imprinting effects compared to TLDH. The adsorption capacity of ILDH was about 3.0 mg/g after 10 cycles, and the column experiments manifested that the Mg2+/Li+ mass ratio could be significantly declined from 57.99 in the Yiliping sulfate-type brine to 2.36 in the desorption solution with 2.77 mg/g Li+ adsorption capacity at room temperature.