China recovers critical metals from lithium

September 11, 2026

Chinese researchers have developed an industrial-scale system capable of recovering valuable rubidium and cesium from low-grade materials associated with lithium ore, potentially reducing mineral waste while improving access to critical resources used in advanced technologies.

The new extraction-column technology has reached stable production and is already producing commercial materials. Researchers say it offers significantly higher processing efficiency while requiring less equipment and solvent than conventional extraction methods.

Recovering valuable metals previously lost as waste

Rubidium and cesium are relatively rare and highly dispersed elements, making economically viable standalone deposits difficult to find.

As a result, small quantities present in ores containing more abundant minerals have historically been difficult or uneconomical to recover. During conventional lithium processing, much of this material could therefore be discarded.

The new Chinese system changes that approach by recovering rubidium and cesium as valuable byproducts of lithium production.

According to the research team, one metric ton of typical lithium concentrate contains approximately 25 kilograms of lithium oxide, 7.8 kg of rubidium oxide and 1.8 kg of cesium oxide.

Although rubidium and cesium occur in much smaller quantities than lithium, extracting them efficiently could increase the amount of useful material obtained from every tonne of ore.

17 columns replace more than 70 extraction tanks

A major innovation behind the project is the replacement of conventional extraction tanks with compact extraction columns.

A traditional facility processing a comparable quantity of material would require more than 70 tanks. The new system uses only 17 extraction columns, divided among four stages: extraction, scrubbing, stripping and de-oiling.

Each column can deliver separation performance equivalent to as many as 15 conventional stages.

The technology also cuts solvent consumption by approximately 40% and reduces the equipment footprint by more than half, according to the researchers.

These improvements could make mineral-processing facilities more compact and resource-efficient.

Enclosed processing reduces solvent emissions

The extraction columns also address some environmental and safety concerns associated with conventional processing.

Traditional extraction tanks can expose organic solvents to the surrounding atmosphere. The new columns instead operate within a fully enclosed system.

This design helps limit solvent vapor emissions and odors while reducing associated fire risks.

Continuous automated processing provides another advantage by enabling tighter control over how liquids interact and how individual elements are separated.

Such precision is particularly important for rubidium and cesium because the two metals have similar chemical properties and occur at relatively low concentrations.

Recovery rates exceed 95%

The demonstration facility has an annual production capacity of approximately 500 tonnes.

It produces rubidium carbonate and cesium carbonate with purity levels exceeding 99.9%. The overall cesium recovery rate is above 98%, while rubidium recovery exceeds 95%.

The facility can also manufacture chlorides, oxides and sulfates containing the two elements. These compounds can subsequently be processed into metallic rubidium and cesium for specialized industrial applications.

Critical materials for emerging technologies

Despite being produced in relatively small volumes, rubidium and cesium have important roles in high-tech industries.

Applications include aerospace equipment, precision instruments, 6G communications and quantum technologies, making reliable supplies of these materials increasingly important as advanced technology sectors expand.

Finding ways to recover them from existing mineral-processing streams could reduce dependence on limited standalone deposits while increasing the value generated from lithium resources.

Nearly 20 years of research behind the technology

The demonstration project was jointly developed by the Institute of Process Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ganfeng Lithium Group in Jiangxi province.

Its development builds on almost two decades of research into extraction-column technology.

The underlying approach is not limited to rubidium and cesium. Similar technology has already been applied to industrial zirconium separation and phosphoric acid purification.

Researchers are now developing additional applications involving the extraction of nickel, cobalt and lithium from ores and other raw materials.

Improving resource efficiency in critical mineral processing

The new system highlights a broader opportunity for the mining industry: recovering valuable materials that were previously overlooked during the extraction of primary commodities.

Instead of treating low-concentration rubidium and cesium as waste, producers can potentially transform them into high-purity commercial products while processing lithium.

Combined with lower solvent consumption, a smaller equipment footprint and reduced solvent emissions, the technology could support more efficient use of mineral resources.

As global demand for lithium and other critical materials continues to grow, technologies that extract multiple valuable elements from the same ore could become increasingly important for building more resource-efficient mineral supply chains.