Synthesis of H 2 TiO 3 ion sieves hollow pellets with high specific surface area for commercialisation and its selective adsorption of Li +

H2TiO3 ion sieve is regarded as the most promising adsorbent due to its high theoretical adsorption capacity, excellent stability, and selectivity. In this paper, a Zr-doped Li2TiO3 lithium-ion sieve (LZrTO-0.1) was synthesised using the solid-phase method. After converting to Zr-doped H2TiO3 (HZrTO-0.1) by pickling, the static saturated Li+ adsorption capacity was 22.6 mg g−1, and the Ti4+ dissolution loss was only 0.01%. Structural characterisation revealed that LZrTO-0.1 consists of uniformly dispersed spherical nanoparticles with an average diameter of 200 nm. Elemental mapping confirmed the successful incorporation and homogeneous distribution of Zr dopants. Moreover, contact angle measurements demonstrated excellent hydrophilicity, while N₂ adsorption–desorption analysis (BET) indicated a significantly high specific surface area. HZrTO-0.1 was granulated into hollow adsorbent particles for industrial use, showing high Li+ adsorption selectivity in Tibet's Lakkor Tso Salt Lake brine with multiple impurities. In addition, after 20 cycles of dynamic column operation, the adsorption capacity remained at about 7.42 mg g−1, which was much higher than reported. The adsorbent enables efficient Li+ recovery from brine and shows great potential for broader applications. This work provides a foundation for the design and development of efficient adsorbent materials for the commercial extraction of lithium from salt lakes.