Method for recovering valuable metal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12084742-B2
Application number	US-201917418471-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2019
Priority date	Dec 27, 2018
Publication date	Sep 10, 2024
Grant date	Sep 10, 2024

Abstract

A method for recovering at least cobalt of valuable metals, cobalt and nickel, from an acidic solution obtained by subjecting waste containing positive electrode materials for lithium ion secondary batteries to a wet process, the acidic solution comprising cobalt ions, nickel ions and impurities, wherein the method includes: a first extraction step for Co recovery, the first extraction step being for extracting cobalt ions by solvent extraction from the acidic solution and stripping the cobalt ions; an electrolytic step for Co recovery, the electrolytic step being for providing electrolytic cobalt by electrolysis using a stripped solution obtained in the first extraction step for Co recovery as an electrolytic solution; a dissolution step for Co recovery, the dissolution step being for dissolving the electrolytic cobalt in an acid; and a second extraction step for Co recovery, the second extraction step being for extracting cobalt ions by solvent extraction from a cobalt dissolved solution obtained in the dissolution step for Co recovery and stripping the cobalt ions.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for recovering a valuable metal, the method recovering at least cobalt of valuable metals, cobalt and nickel, from an acidic solution obtained by subjecting waste containing positive electrode materials for lithium ion secondary batteries to a wet process, the acidic solution comprising cobalt ions, nickel ions and impurities, wherein the method comprises:
a first extraction step for Co recovery, the first extraction step being for extracting cobalt ions by solvent extraction from the acidic solution and stripping the cobalt ions;
an electrolytic step for Co recovery, the electrolytic step being for providing electrolytic cobalt by electrolysis using a stripped solution obtained in the first extraction step for Co recovery as an electrolytic solution;
a dissolution step for Co recovery, the dissolution step being for dissolving the electrolytic cobalt in an acid; and
a second extraction step for Co recovery, the second extraction step being for extracting cobalt ions by solvent extraction from a cobalt dissolved solution obtained in the dissolution step for Co recovery and stripping the cobalt ions.

2. The method for recovering a valuable metal according to claim 1 ,
wherein the impurities contained in the acidic solution comprises sodium ions, and
wherein a cobalt dissolved solution obtained in the dissolution step for Co recovery has a sodium concentration of 5 mg/L or less.

3. The method for recovering a valuable metal according to claim 1 ,
wherein the impurities contained in the acidic solution comprise aluminum and/or manganese, and
wherein a total concentration of aluminum and manganese in the cobalt dissolved solution obtained in the dissolution step for Co recovery is 1 mg/L or less.

4. The method for recovering a valuable metal according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an extraction step for Ni recovery, the extracting step being for extracting nickel ions by solvent extraction from an extracted residual solution obtained in the first extraction step for Co recovery and stripping the nickel ions;
an electrolysis step for Ni recovery, the electrolysis step being for performing electrolysis using a stripped solution obtained in the extraction step for Ni recovery as an electrolytic solution; and
a dissolution step for Ni recovery, the dissolution step being for dissolving electrolytic nickel obtained in the electrolysis step for Ni recovery.

5. The method for recovering a valuable metal according to claim 4 , further comprising a crystallization step for Ni recovery, the crystallization step being for using a nickel dissolved solution obtained in the dissolution step for Ni recovery to crystallize nickel ions contained in the nickel dissolved solution.

6. The method for recovering a valuable metal according to claim 4 ,
wherein the impurities contained in the acidic solution comprises sodium ions, and
wherein a nickel dissolved solution obtained in the dissolution step for Ni recovery has a sodium concentration of 5 mg/L or less.

7. The method for recovering a valuable metal according to claim 4 ,
wherein the impurities contained in the acidic solution comprise aluminum and/or manganese, and
wherein a total concentration of aluminum and manganese in the nickel dissolved solution obtained in the dissolution step for Ni recovery is 1 mg/L or less.

8. The method for recovering a valuable metal according to claim 1 , wherein the acidic solution comprises from 0.1 g/L to 30 g/L of sodium ions.

Assignees

• Jx Nippon Mining & Metals Corp
• Jx Metals Circular Solutions Co Ltd

Inventors

• Okajima Nobuaki
• Tajiri Kazunori
• Kashimura Hiromichi

Classifications

• B09B3/35

  Shredding, crushing or cutting · CPC title

• B09B3/70 Primary

  Chemical treatment, e.g. pH adjustment or oxidation (involving an extraction step B09B3/80) · CPC title

• C22B23/04 Primary

  by wet processes (recovery or separation of nickel or cobalt using organic agents C22B3/00) · CPC title

• H01M2220/30

  Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop · CPC title

• H01M10/54

  Reclaiming serviceable parts of waste accumulators · CPC title