Salt Lake Resources Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Pilot Laboratory (hereinafter called "the Pilot Lab"), which was built in 1988, is an important lab hosting numerous ISL experimental investigations. The floor area of the laboratory is 1200 square meters, span 15 meters, 60 meters long, with a total 11 meters high. The eastern part is 180 square meters, separated to 2 floors, the structure of the first floor bent structure, abdominal thin beam, large-scale stone layer, two-story cast-in-place slab column part of the incus. In the Pilot Lab, there have various types of steel test platform 450 square meters, load distribution 460 kilowatts,also have water supply, compressed air, vacuum, refrigeration systems and other public works.
The Pilot Lab is a project test base for the comprehensive utilization of the national salt lake resources studies. It is mainly for: the study of salt lake potassium, magnesium, lithium, boron resources and the new techniques and new technologies of isolation and utilization of scattered elements; the depth and high-value processing of salt lake chemical products; the research and development of synthesis and preparation of new salt lake materials; and take into account of research of other salts (such as strontium salts) which are rich in Qinghai province, moreover, provide technical basis for industrial production and design.
So far, a number of major projects of the country, the hospital, the region have been completed in the Pilot Lab, including
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pilotscale experiment of preparation of potassium sulfate using resources of salt lakes;
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pilotscale experiment of preparation of boron tonstein using boric acid as raw materials;
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expansion experiment of extraction of boric acid from Chaerhan brine;
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pilotscale experiment of preparation of boron tonstein using boric acid;
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expansion experiment of one-stepextraction of boron from brine of salt lakes;
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expansion experiment of preparation of lithium bromide
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pilotscale experiment of preparation of lithium carbonate bymembrane separation of magnesium lithium of brine;
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pilotscale experiment of preparation of high-purity lithium hexafluorophosphate electrolyte;
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simulated evaporation experiment of oilfield water of Chaidamu; and
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pilotscale experiment of preparation of anhydrous magnesium chloride used for electrolysis by dehydration of bischofite.
Up to now, Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes has made important contribution for comprehensive and high-value utilization of Qinghai salt lake and other richly resources by undertake National key scientific and technological project, Chinese Academy of Sciences Knowledge Innovation Program, and the implementation of the projects of the Pilot Lab.