Lithium capacity of Kazakhstan mineral resource base

Relevance. Weak knowledge of the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan on lithium raw materials previously mined in the East Kazakhstan region. Aim. To study lithium raw material base in the Republic of Kazakhstan and prospects for the extraction of lithium raw materials. Methods. Content analysis of all information on the subject of the mineral resource base of lithium in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Results. Within the Republic of Kazakhstan, ore deposits of scapolite pegmatites and lithium-bearing greisens-hydrothermal growths are known along alkaline granites. Residual lithium reserves from previously developed rare metal deposits that are equivalent to 36.3 thousand tons of Li2O, predicted resources of known lithium occurrences are estimated at 140 thousand tons of Li2O. It is possible to develop known rare metal deposits with the extraction of tantalum, niobium, beryllium and associated extraction of spodumene concentrate. GRK «Ognevsky Mining and Processing Plant» is already planning to put back to mining of tantalum and beryl (with the associated extraction of spodumene concentrate – up to 2.5 thousand tons/year) at the Bakennoe deposit and processing the resulting ore concentrates at the operating Ulba metallurgical plant of Kazatomprom. With regard to lithium-bearing hydro-mineral resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the situation is more complicated, due to the data limitations on the completeness of formation water testing and the reliability of data on surface waters of stagnant lakes. Such oil and gas fields as Karachaganak (up to 196 mg/l Li2O), Kolkuduk (up to 130 mg/l Li2O), Teplovskoe (up to 82.5 mg/l), Urikhtau (up to 52 mg/l) and Western Opak (up to 45 mg/l) are known for high concentration of lithium in formation waters. First two deposits are ready for oil and gas development and production with an annual extraction of up to 1 thousand tons of lithium carbonate. With regard to the lithium content of stagnant lakes of the Republic of Kazakhstan, it should be noted almost total lack of reliable information on sampling their surface waters. Given the fact of finding industrially significant lithium-bearing hydro-mineral lake deposits in adjacent regions of China and Mongolia, it is necessary to intensify the thematic works to assess the lithium content of endorheic lakes throughout the Republic of Kazakhstan, with sampling not only of surface waters, but also of natural brine, lake mud, saline clayey rocks of solonchaks and takyrs.