Figure 6 – Li2O Cumulative recovery curve The lithium concentrations determined by ICP-OES are significantly lower than the expected bulk Li₂O content of the feed material. This discrepancy is attributed to partial acid digestion of silicate-hosted lithium phases, particularly spodumene, leading to a systematic underestimation of total lithium. Therefore, the results are interpreted comparatively rather than absolutely. In this way, to ensure representativeness and comparability among samples with different masses and dilution factors, lithium oxide contents were normalized relative to the feed grade and further evaluated through mass-weighted metal distribution. This approach minimizes the influence of sample heterogeneity and analytical variability, allowing a robust assessment of lithium enrichment and recovery during the separation process. The Li2O grade curve of the sink product is represented in Figure 7. 149
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