Lithium salt lakes are well developed in China with abundant chemical types.The quaternary salt lakes,with good exploitation prospects,are mainly distributed in Chinese northwestern regions,especially,in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.The lithium,as an energy metal,is of great significance for the domestic economy and the national security.Recently,the lithium industry sees a rapid development in the world due to the new energy policies of the main economical countries.The exploitation of the lithium resources from salt lakes is a new focus.The distribution,the brine chemical characteristics,as well as the industrialization of the carbonate type lithium salt lakes are reviewed in this paper.The two main technologies to exploit the carbonate type lithium salt lake brines,the salinity gradient solar pond technology and the mixing brine technology,are discussed,as well as their utilization in salt lakes.With a discussion of combining the two technologies,the possibility of exploitation in large scale of the carbonate type lithium salt lakes is indicated.

lithium salt lake  /  carbonate type  /  salinity gradient solar pond technology  /  mixing brine technology  /  lithium carbonate  /  QinghaiTibet Plateau