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INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC DISCUSSION: PROBLEMS, TASKS AND PROSPECTS
652
DOI 10.51582/interconf.19-20.02.2022.072
Naumenko Uliana
PhD (Geology), Senior Researcher, Institute of Geological Sciences, NAS of Ukraine
Vasylenko Svitlana
PhD (Geology), Senior Researcher, Institute of Geological Sciences, NAS of Ukraine
PROSPECTS OF DEVELOPMENT OF
LITHIUM RESOURCE BASE IN UKRAINE
Abstract. Rare metals are an important component of Ukraine's resource base. According to
preliminary estimates, the overall lithium resource potential in Ukraine is quite high. The main
lithium deposits are associated with Proterozoic complexes (1,7–2,1 billion years) of alkaline
rocks, carbonate and granite pegmatites. Significant lithium reserves have been discovered at the
Shevchenkivske, Polokhivske, Stankuvatske deposits and Dobra, Kruta Balka promising areas.
The estimation of lithium oxide reserves is close to 500,000 tons, but none of lithium deposits in
Ukraine are not mining yet. Most of lithium deposits are complex that is why even medium and
small deposits can be attractive for investment, having well-developed infrastructure and the
presence of mining and processing enterprises within the Ukrainian Shield (US).
Keywords: rare metals, deposits, resources, lithium, Ukraine.
The strategic resources such as coal, oil and uranium, which were demanded,
are in the past. Nowadays lithium is on the first charts of demanded resources.
Lithium has been known since the late 1940s. It was used for the ceramics and glass
production, used in metallurgy, medicine and petrochemistry. However, only when
mobile electronics has been invented and manufactures start to replace gasoline
engines with electric demand for the lithium has raised.
The projection of increasing demand for the lithium is up to 250 %, which
equals 2,5 times. [6]
Netherlands is planning to stop production of gasoline and diesel cars by the
year of 2030. France and Germany plan to do so by the year of 2040, Britain, India
and China have the same plans in the nearest future. [6].
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There is no lithium in the pure form; you can only find it in combination with
other minerals.
Most of the lithium (billions of tons) contains in the seawater. Also there is a
lot of metal lithium contains in the earth bowels.
The following types of lithium raw materials on the world market represent by:
1. Spodumene concentrate (several varieties);
2. Petalite concentrate (several varieties);
3. Lithium carbonate Li2CO3;
4. Lithium metal.
About 70 % of worldwide lithium metal deposits contains in Chile, China,
Argentina and Australia. The main lithium production has concentrated in South
America. In the same time, major production of lithium from salt lakes concentrates
in the Chile and Argentina.
The FMC, Rockwood and S.Q.M companies jointly produce about 46%
lithium. The Talison Lithium Company supplies 34% of worldwide lithium and
about 65% of the lithium mineral spodumene. Portugal, Brazil, the United States
and Zimbabwe also have large deposits of such mineral.
Ukraine has a powerful mineral resource base and have a big chance to become
one of the main lithium producers in the world.
Therefore, our research has a big impact for the strengthening worldwide mineral
resources base of rare metals in Ukraine. The main goal is to study the patterns of
formation, features of the material composition and assess the prospects of rare metal
pegmatite deposits. Industrial significant of lithium deposits of Ukraine are located in
the Donbass region (Naholnyi ore district) and within the Ukrainian Shield.
In addition, two areas with lithium mineralization have been found in the
central part of the Ukrainian Shield (Kirovohrad block) on the southwestern flank
of the Korsun-Novomyrhorod pluton. The Yesaulivske deposit contains about 3%
Li2O, represented by kukeite, which is associated with sites of hydrothermal effects
on Carboniferous clay and sand-clay shales.
The main objectives of the study are to investigate the current state of
geological situation and rare metal metallogeny of ore zones of Ukraine and to
INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC DISCUSSION: PROBLEMS, TASKS AND PROSPECTS
654
clarify the complex of geological and geophysical data and structural position for
major rare metal structures, ore fields and deposits of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Shield is a large and main rare metal province, occupies over
40% of the Ukrainian territory. There are 22 rare metal formations, which formed in
connection with the Early Proterozoic mobile belts, and the Late Proterozoic
superimposed zones of tectonic-magmatic and tectonic-metasomatic activation.
Granitic and alkaline magmatism, pegmatite formation and metasomatic processes
took a part in these zones. The endogenous deposits associated with acidic granite
magma are characterized by high lithium concentrations.
The spodumene, petalite, amblygonite, eucryptite, lithium mica – cinwaldite,
lepidolite, and polylithionite are the most important lithium-containing minerals
have industrial importance. The most interest have the complex deposits associated
with rare metal granites and syenites, pegmatites substitution and alkaline
metasomatites [1, 2, 3, 8, 9].
There are three largest areas of lithium ores in Ukraine: Polokhivska,
Shevchenkivska and Stankuvatska. They are located within the Ukrainian Shield,
which belongs to a unique rare metal province (Fig. 1.) [5].
Polokhivske rare metal pegmatite deposit of petalite ores is located in the
Kirovohrad region. Geologically this object is adjacent to the eastern part of the
Tashlyk-Shpolyanskе rare metal district. The productive zone of the deposit is
connected with a complex of rocks of the Precambrian crystalline basement in the
southwestern border of the Korsun-Novomyrhorod plutonium of anorthosites and
rapakivi granites. The Polokhivske deposit is covered by Mesozoic-Cenozoic
terrigenous deposits of the platform cover therefore it does not reach the surface.
The latter lie in the weathering crust of Precambrian complexes. Lithium pegmatites
occur in the form of very thick bodies dipping southwest at the angle of 60°. They
contain metamorphic rocks represented by plagiogneises (mainly cordierite-biotite,
garnet-biotite, garnet-diopside-biotite), which have a complex history of tectonic
deformation and later injection with granitoids of the Kirovohrad-Zhytomyr
complex. Currently, three ore bodies have been discovered at the deposit. They are
subconform with the gneiss stratum, as well as with granitoids injected into the
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gneisses [4]. The length of ore bodies extends to about 600 m. Mineralization has
been explored to the depth of 500 m but has not been delineated. The largest ore
body has the thickness of 10 m to 189 m (average 60 m) and comprises 75% of the
reserves of the deposit. The second ore body has a thickness of 13 to 75 m and can
be traced for 350 m to a depth of 400 m. It contains 17% of the reserves. The third
body is smaller and holds 8% of the reserves. The bodies come to the surface of the
crystalline basement and are partially eroded but can be traced even in the kaolin
weathering crust by a high content of Li2O.
Fig. 1. Map of lithium of Ukraine (according to used material [8]):
metallogenic zones, specialization, age of mineralization:
1 – Kocherivska (Ta, Nb, Rb, Li/PR1), 2 – Podilska (fl, Li, Be, Nb, TR/PR1-3),
3 – Fedorivska (Li, Ta, Rb, Cs/PR1), 4 – Sorokynska (Ta, Nb, Li, Rb, Cs / PR1);
2 – ore, ore-bearing fields, their specialization: 1 – Volodarsk-Volynske (Be, Li, Sc),
2 – Korostyshivske (Ta, Nb, Rb, Li), 3 – Bakhtyn-Stavchanske (fl, Li),
4 – Stankuvatske (Li, Ta, Nb, Be), 5 – Polokhivske (Li, Ta, Nb),
6 – Zhovtorichenske (Sc, U, TR, Zr, Li), 7 – Komendantivske (Ta, Nb, Li),
8 – Fedorivske (Li, Ta, Rb, Cs), 9 - Pivdenno-Sorokynske (Ta, Nb, Li, Rb, Cs),
10 - Kamianomohylske (Nb, Ta, Li), 11 – Naholne (Li); 3 - deposits, ore occurrences,
their specialization: 1 – Polokhivske (Li, Ta, Nb), 2 – S hevchenkivske (Li),
3 – Lyznykivske (Ve, Rb, Li), 4 – Stavchanske (Li, fl), 5 – Stankuvatske (Li, Ta, Nb),
6 – Lypnyazke (Li, Ta, Nb), 7 – Kruta Balka (Ta, Nb, Li), 8 – Krokodyl (Li)
INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC DISCUSSION: PROBLEMS, TASKS AND PROSPECTS
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Due to simple geological and mining conditions economic feasibility of this
deposit is very favorable. Together with petalite concentrates there is an opportunity
to involve extraction technologies of co-products. Polokhivske deposit should have
the highest mining priority for petalite concentrate, and only then for lithium itself.
Estimated resources of the deposit (reserves not defined) are not less than 180
thousand tons of lithium oxide.
In April 2017, “Ukrlitiyvydobuvannia” LLC received a permission for field
exploitation. Laboratory tests indicate high quality ores that contain a high
concentration of lithium, which is used in the manufacture of lithium-ion
batteries.
Shevchenkivske deposit of lithium-bearing pegmatites of the albite-spodumene
type is located in the Velykonovoselivskyi district of the Donetsk region, one
kilometer away from the village Shevchenko. Shevchenkivske deposit is a series of
steeply dipping pegmatite veins of the spodumene-albite type. Ore bodies have an
average thickness of 40 m and a length of 600–700 m. According to the estimated
reserves of lithium oxide, the deposit is considered large. The content of lithium
oxide is typical for this industrial type of deposits, i.e. in the range of 1,1–1,5%.
Most of the lithium is associated with spodumene and to a lesser extent (3,7% of the
total content) with petalite [4]. The total yield of concentrate is 22,8%. The average
content of lithium oxide in the concentrate is 4,9%. This concentrate corresponds to
the grade C1. According to the scale of ore mining and the quality of ores,
Shevchenkivske deposit can be considered as primary object for the formation of
the lithium industry of Ukraine.
Stankuvatske deposit of spodumene-petalite ores can now be considered as a
reserve object, given that the ores contain two lithium minerals. This complicates
the enrichment technology (obtaining selective spodumene and petalite
concentrates). This deposit is currently in need of geological investigations and in
terms of lithium resources corresponds to a large industrial deposit, however, it is
poorly studied, which is caused by economic risks. Stankuvatske region, in addition
to petalite ores, is rich in other useful minerals, but this will require a development
of new enrichment technologies.
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Conclusions
Given the high potential of Ukraine's mineral resource base, it is necessary,
among the most important strategic tasks, to renew rare metal and rare earth
industries. In Ukraine, the overall resource potential for lithium is quite high. There
are pegmatite deposits that have been studied at different levels: Shevchenkivske
(spodumene ores), Polokhivske (petalite ores), Stankuvatske (spodumene-petalite
ores), Balka Kruta (complex rare metal ores), as well as numerous ore occurrences
of this type. Lithium is also currently studied in mica minerals that have a content
of lithium oxide in the range of 0,2–0,6% and form a large accumulation in the
Donbass.
According to the proven reserves and prospected resources of lithium, Ukraine
can be considered as the richest country in Europe. Ukraine can fully meet its own
needs, as well as supply lithium raw materials to the Western European market.
Shevchenkivske deposit of spodumene ores can be considered as the most attractive
one in terms of current conditions and trends in global and Western European
markets for lithium raw materials. There are high expectations for the discovery of
new lithium deposits on the territory of the Ukrainian Shield associated with
carbonatites, subalkaline and alkaline complexes, which should be the task of further
research. Therefore, it is necessary to develop regional and local forecasting and
search criteria, based on which to assess the prospects of the Ukrainian territory and
determine the main directions of further research in the search for lithium.
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