Patent ID: 8911610

Claim:
A method for producing lithium metal comprising the steps of: (A) contacting and reacting solid lithium carbonate and chlorine gas in a counterflow manner without a solvent in a dry process to produce anhydrous lithium chloride; and (B) subjecting a raw material for electrolysis comprising said anhydrous lithium chloride obtained from step (A) to molten salt electrolysis in an electrolytic cell under such conditions as to produce lithium metal, wherein said step (A) is performed outside said electrolytic cell, wherein chlorine gas generated by said molten salt electrolysis in step (B) is recycled as said chlorine gas in step (A) performed outside said electrolytic cell to continuously perform steps (A) and (B), wherein said lithium carbonate is in the form of powder or granule prepared by granulating powder, and wherein said contacting and reacting in step (A) are carried out under stirring.