Process for recycling cobalt-bearing materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019376159-A1
Application number	US-201716341512-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 16, 2017
Priority date	Oct 21, 2016
Publication date	Dec 12, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention concerns the recovery of cobalt from cobalt-bearing materials, in particular from cobalt-bearing lithium-ion secondary batteries, from the spent batteries, or from their scrap. A process is divulged for the recovery of cobalt from cobalt-bearing materials, comprising the steps of: providing a converter furnace, charging slag formers and one or more of copper matte, copper-nickel matte, and impure alloy into the furnace, and injecting an oxidizing gas so as to smelt the charge in oxidizing conditions, thereby obtaining a molten bath comprising a crude metal phase, and a cobalt-bearing slag, and separating the crude metal from the cobalt-bearing slag, characterized in that the cobalt-bearing materials are charged into the furnace. This process is particularly suitable for recycling cobalt-bearing lithium-ion secondary batteries. Cobalt is concentrated in a limited amount of converter slag, from which it can economically be retrieved, together with other elements such as copper and/or nickel.

First claim

1 - 7 . (canceled)

8 . Process for the recovery of cobalt from cobalt-bearing materials, comprising:
providing a converter furnace; charging slag formers and one or more of copper matte, copper-nickel matte, and impure alloy into the furnace, and injecting an oxidizing gas so as to smelt the charge in oxidizing conditions, thereby obtaining a molten bath comprising a crude metal phase, and a cobalt-bearing slag; and, separating the crude metal phase from the cobalt-bearing slag;
wherein the cobalt-bearing materials are charged into the furnace.

9 . Process according to claim 8 , wherein more than 90% by weight of the cobalt present in the cobalt-bearing materials is recovered in the cobalt-bearing slag, by adjusting the amount of oxidizing gas.

10 . Process for the recovery of cobalt from cobalt-bearing materials according to claim 8 , wherein the cobalt-bearing materials comprise secondary batteries, spent batteries, or their scrap.

11 . Process for the recovery of cobalt from cobalt-bearing materials according to claim 10 , wherein the cobalt in the slag amounts to between 2% and 20% by weight.

12 . Process for the recovery of cobalt from cobalt-bearing materials according to claim 8 , further comprising a step for recovering cobalt and copper from the slag.

13 . Process for the recovery of cobalt from cobalt-bearing materials according to claim 12 , wherein the step for recovering cobalt and copper from the slag comprises an acidic aqueous leaching operation.

14 . Process for the recovery of cobalt from cobalt-bearing materials according to claim 12 , wherein the step for recovering cobalt and copper from the slag comprises a reducing smelting operation.

Assignees

• Umicore Nv

Inventors

• Suetens Thomas
• Van Horebeek David

Classifications

• C22B23/02 Primary

  by dry processes · CPC title

• C22B7/001

  Dry processes · CPC title

• Y02W30/84

  Recycling of batteries or fuel cells · CPC title

• Y02P10/20

  Recycling · CPC title