China has solved the problem of separating lithium from halogen solution, which contains large concentrations of magnesium, with the approval of a new resource utilization project in Taijnar lake in northwest China's Qinghai province Monday.

The project, sponsored by a subsidiary of the China International Trust & Investment Corp (CITIC) and the provincial government of Qinghai, won a national quality appraisal certificate in Beijing.

The project will largely enhance the country's capacity to produce lithium products to replace imports, experts noted.

As a new material, lithium is widely used in the fields of national defense, the electronic industry and the chemical industry. At present, China is one of the world's largest lithium importers, importing 6,000-8,000 tons of lithium carbonate and 200, 000-500,000 tons of potassium sulfate each year from Chile, Australia and other countries.

However, it was discovered that the Taijnar lake contains more than 3.23 million tons of lithium reserves and 26.35 million tons of potassium, ranking first in the country.

The hi-tech company, which focuses on developing lithium resources and producing lithium products, has invested over 30 million yuan into the project, and a group of experts and scientists spent two-years tackling the technical problem.

At the current experimental stage, the Taijnar lake is capable of producing 3,000 tons of potassium sulfate and 250 tons of lithium carbonate each year.

(People's Daily 03/27)