Air Conditioners / Gas and Air Treatment

Concentrated lithium bromide brines (54%) are widely used in aqueous solution as an absorption medium in industrial absorption refrigeration systems. The principle is based on the latent heat involved in the transfer of water between the vapor and the liquid phase. The solution can almost be recycled indefinitely, since the lithium bromide itself is stable. This technology is gaining in importance, since it is a viable substitute for chlorofluorocarbons which are known to be detrimental to the ozone layer.
These refrigerating units are used mainly in hotels, apartment buildings, hospitals, etc. for air conditioning and process cooling.
Similarly, lithium chloride solutions are used in industrial humidity control and drying systems of comparable construction. They are largely used in photographic processing, laboratories, food processing, pharmaceutical manufacturing, etc. These systems have the added advantage that the lithium chloride destroys microorganisms, bacteria, etc.
Such aqueous solutions in absorption machines are corrosive and therefore inhibitors, such as lithium chromate, lithium nitrate or lithium molybdate, need to be added.
Anhydrous lithium hydroxide and peroxide serve for the removal of carbon dioxide from the air. They are used specifically in closed systems such as submarines and space shuttles.