Institute of the Earth’s Crust, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Irkutsk, Russia

S. V. Alekseev, Head of Laboratory, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, salex@crust.irk.ru
L. P. Alekseeva, Leading Researcher, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences 
A. G. Vakhromeev, Head of Laboratory, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, Professor

Ecostar-Nautech LLC, Novosibirsk, Russia

A. D. Ryabtsev, Director of Science, Doctor of Engineering Sciences

Lithium production from sources, which alternative to traditional deposits of solid minerals and salars, is an urgent task of our time, the solution of which is aimed at reviving national production of lithium raw materials and at independence from the world market. Deep-seated lithium-bearing brines in sedimentary basins are of particular interest. They are mined in large volumes as associated waters at oil, gas condensate and diamond deposits. The concentration of lithium in brines reaches hundreds of mg/L. In Russia, all lithium raw materials are imported or their secondary processing is used. Domestic deposits are not developed. Hydromineral resources of lithium in Russia are identified in the Republics of Dagestan, Komi, Sakha (Yakutia), Krasnoyarsk Territory, Astrakhan, Arkhangelsk and Irkutsk Regions. This article assesses the current state of the resources of lithium-bearing brines in the world and in Eastern Siberia. The study is based on an analytical review of information on hydromineral resources, published over the past two decades, and on the results of our own research in this area. Special geological exploration work on industrial brine deposits in the south of the Siberian platform was carried out in the period from 1992 to 2025 with the participation of the authors. Currently, inflows of concentrated industrial brines are discovered within the entire geological section of the Vendian and Lower Cambrian. The East Siberian hydromineral province has unique resources of underground commercial-value brines of pure chloride composition with peak salinity (up to 725 g/L). Extremely saturated brines with the maximal concentration of valuable components (Li, Br, Sr, B, etc.) are confined to reservoirs of the halogen–carbonate hydrogeological formation. For brines of the Siberian platform (with a complex cationic composition and poorly susceptible to lithium recovery), Ecostar-Nautech LLC has developed and tested a technology for sorption enrichment of lithium, which allows for the comprehensive processing of natural brines.

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