Lithium refinery residue reuse in construction materials production: Status, challenges and further perspectives

With the booming of rechargeable battery production for energy transition to a cleaner pattern, more lithium refinery residues (LRRs) are being generated and feasible ways to LRRs consumption must be found. In this work, recent advances in utilizing LRRs for fabrication of cement, concrete and geopolymer as well as some other applications, are critically reviewed. It is demonstrated that LRRs contain a significant number of micro-fine particles and are abundant in silica and alumina contents. LRRs have certain pozzolanic properties supporting their beneficial reuse as supplementary cementitious materials. Overall, proper LRRs incorporation in these products can enhance their engineering properties and reduce the production costs and emissions. Finally, challenges and further perspectives are discussed on the beneficial reuse of LRRs in construction materials production. This work sheds new insights for future studies in contributing to the sustainable management of LRRs.