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KR-102962155-B1 - Process of extracting metal from lithium-ion batteries

KR102962155B1KR 102962155 B1KR102962155 B1KR 102962155B1KR-102962155-B1

Abstract

A process for extracting metal from a combination of metal, liquid, acid, and other components derived from spent lithium-ion batteries is described.

Inventors

  • 딩 난

Assignees

  • 알베마를 코포레이션

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20191025
Priority Date
20181030

Claims (13)

  1. A method for extracting one or more metals from a combination comprising one or more metals, a liquid, an acid, and one or more other components, comprising the following steps: (A) a step of adding a reducing agent to the above combination to produce a leachate containing Fe(II) and Mn(II), wherein the reducing agent is adjusted to reduce one or more metals and not substantially affect one or more other components; (B) a step of adjusting the pH of the combination to form a precipitate containing aluminum; and (C) A step of adding an oxidizing agent to the leachate to remove Fe(II) and Mn(II) from the leachate while leaving the remaining metals in the leachate, wherein the oxidizing agent comprises one or more salts of permanganate anions ( MnO₄⁻ ).
  2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the reducing agent comprises sodium thiosulfate.
  3. A method according to paragraph 2, wherein in step (B), the pH is in the range of 2 to 8.
  4. A method according to paragraph 2, wherein in step (B), the pH is in the range of 3.5 to 4.5.
  5. Method including the following steps: (A) a step of extracting one or more metals from a combination comprising one or more metals, a liquid, an acid, and one or more other components, wherein the one or more metals and one or more other components are derived from one or more lithium-ion waste batteries, and the extraction step comprises adding a reducing agent comprising sodium thiosulfate to the combination, wherein the reducing agent is adjusted to reduce the one or more metals and not substantially affect the one or more other components, thereby producing a leachate containing Fe(II) and Mn(II); and (B) A step of adding an oxidizing agent to the leachate to remove Fe(II) and Mn(II) from the leachate while leaving the remaining metals in the leachate, wherein the oxidizing agent comprises one or more salts of permanganate anions ( MnO₄⁻ ).
  6. Method including the following: (A) A step of preparing a mass from one or more lithium-ion batteries, wherein the mass comprises one or more selected from the group consisting of lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, iron, aluminum, and any combination of two or more of these; (B) A step of bringing the above mass into contact with acid to form a combination; (C) A step of contacting the above combination with a reducing agent to form an acidic leachate, wherein the reducing agent comprises sodium thiosulfate; (D) A step of adjusting the pH of the acid leachate to form a precipitate containing aluminum; (E) a step of separating a precipitate from the acid leachate; and a step of contacting at least a portion of the acid leachate with an oxidizing agent to remove iron and manganese from the leachate while leaving the remaining metals in the leachate, wherein the oxidizing agent comprises one or more salts of permanganate anions ( MnO₄⁻ ); and (F) A step of extracting one or more selected from the group consisting of lithium, cobalt, nickel, aluminum, and any combination of two or more of these from an acidic leachate.
  7. A method according to claim 6, wherein in step (D), the pH of the acid leachate is in the range of 2 to 8.
  8. A method according to claim 6, wherein in step (D), the pH of the acid leachate is in the range of 3.5 to 4.5.
  9. In claim 6, a method wherein one or more compounds containing aluminum are extracted from the acid leachate by filtration.
  10. delete
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  12. A method according to claim 6, wherein in step (F), lithium is extracted from an acidic leachate as one or more selected from the group consisting of lithium hydroxide, lithium carbonate, lithium phosphate, lithium sulfate, lithium chloride, lithium nitrate, and any combination of two or more of these.
  13. A method according to claim 6, wherein in step (F), the cobalt is extracted from an acid leachate as one selected from the group consisting of cobalt sulfate, cobalt chloride, cobalt nitrate, and any combination of two or more of these.

Description

Process of extracting metal from lithium-ion batteries The present disclosure generally relates to one or more processes for extracting one or more metals from a lithium-ion battery. This section introduces information that may be relevant to or provide context for certain aspects of the technology described herein and/or claimed below. This information serves as background to aid in a better understanding of what is disclosed herein. This background may include discussions of "related" technology. The fact that such technology is related in any way does not mean that it is also "prior art." Related technology may or may not be prior art. Discussions should be read in this context and are not an acknowledgment of prior art. The cathode active material (CAM) of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) contains lithium (Li) and cobalt (Co), and there is high demand for it, particularly due to its application in e-mobility. Waste LIBs can be recycled through physical processes involving crushing, sieving, and magnetic separation. Along with graphite from the anode, CAM generates microscopic fragments often referred to as "black mass." Due to the nature of the physical processes, the black mass contains many impurities. The most common impurities are copper and aluminum from the current collector, iron from the battery case, and phosphorus from residual or decomposed electrolyte. In the general hydrometallurgical process for recovering valuable metals from black mass , acid leaching is the first step. Typically, sulfuric acid ( H₂SO₄ ) and hydrogen peroxide ( H₂O₂ ) are used in this step to produce solutions rich in Li and Co. The function of H₂O₂ is to reduce Co(III) in CAM to Co(II) , which is more soluble in acidic solutions. However, H₂O₂ can act as either a reducing agent or an oxidizing agent depending on the chemical potential of redox pairs. This causes the problem of introducing unnecessary impurities along with the metal of interest. For example, when H₂O₂ is used, copper (Cu) and phosphorus (P) both enter the solution along with Li⁺ and Co²⁺ , so an additional purification step is generally required to remove these elements. Therefore, one or more improved processes for acid leaching are required for use in wet smelting processes for recovering precious metals from black mass. In particular, one or more improved processes for acid leaching are required in which the tendency for impurities to migrate along the metal of interest is less than in known processes. Additionally, improved processes for LIB recycling are required. Generally, the present disclosure provides one or more processes for extracting one or more metals from one or more lithium-ion batteries. In one aspect, a method is provided comprising: (A) a step of preparing a mass from one or more lithium-ion batteries, wherein the mass comprises one or more selected from the group consisting of lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, iron, aluminum, and any combination of two or more of these; (B) a step of contacting the mass with an acid to form a combination; (C) a step of contacting the combination with a reducing agent to form an acid leaching solution, wherein the reducing agent comprises sodium thiosulfate; (D) a step of adjusting the pH of the acid leaching solution to form a precipitate containing aluminum; and (E) a step of extracting from one or more acid leaching solutions selected from the group consisting of lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, iron, aluminum, and any combination of two or more of these. One or more aspects include the process of any previous paragraph, and the pH of the acid leachate is in the range of about 2 to about 8. One or more aspects include the process of any previous paragraph, and the pH of the acid leachate is in the range of about 3.5 to about 4.5. One or more aspects include the above process of any previous paragraph, and one or more compounds containing aluminum are extracted from the acid leachate by filtration. One or more aspects include the process of any previous paragraph and further include the step of removing Fe(II) and Mn(II) from the acid leachate by contacting the acid leachate with an oxidizing agent. One or more aspects include the process of any previous paragraph, and the oxidizing agent comprises one or more selected from the group consisting of permanganate anions ( MnO₄- ), ozone, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, halogens, perchlorates, hypochlorites, and any combination of two or more of these salts. One or more aspects include the above process of any previous paragraph, and in step (E), lithium is extracted from the acid leaching water as one or more selected from the group consisting of lithium hydroxide, lithium carbonate, lithium phosphate, lithium sulfate, lithium chloride, lithium nitrate, and any combination of two or more of these. One or more aspects include the above process of any previous paragraph, and in step (E), cobalt is extracted from the acid leachate as one selected from the gr