Method for separating copper, and nickel and cobalt

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021180154-A1
Application number	US-201816771419-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 28, 2018
Priority date	Dec 18, 2017
Publication date	Jun 17, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided is a method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt, which can efficiently and selectively separate copper from nickel and cobalt in a substance containing copper, nickel, and cobalt in a waste lithium ion battery, etc. In this method, a substance containing copper, nickel, and cobalt is sulfurated to obtain a sulfide, the obtained sulfide that contains copper, nickel, and cobalt is brought into contact with an acid solution to obtain a solid containing copper and a leachate containing nickel and cobalt. The sulfide preferably contains copper sulfide as a main component, and contains nickel metal and cobalt metal. In-addition, when bringing the sulfide into contact with the acid solution, the added amounts of the sulfide and the acid solution are preferably adjusted such that the oxidation-reduction potential of the obtained leachate is maintained at 150 mV or less where a silver/silver chloride electrode is a reference electrode.

First claim

1 . A method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt, the method comprising:
sulfurizing a material containing copper, nickel, and cobalt to obtain a sulfide; and bringing the obtained sulfide containing copper, nickel, and cobalt into contact with an acid solution to obtain a solid containing copper and a leachate containing nickel and cobalt.

2 . The method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt according to claim 1 , wherein the sulfide contains a copper sulfide as a main component and contains a nickel metal and a cobalt metal.

3 . The method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt according to claim 1 , wherein when the sulfide is brought into contact with the acid solution, addition amounts of the sulfide and the acid solution are adjusted such that an oxidation-reduction potential of the obtained leachate is maintained at 150 mV or less where a silver/silver chloride electrode is a reference electrode.

4 . The method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt according to claim 1 , wherein the acid solution is a solution containing one or more types selected from sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, and nitric acid.

5 . The method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt according to claim 1 , wherein the material containing copper, nickel, and cobalt is a material that is obtained by heating and melting, and reducing scrap of a lithium ion battery.

6 . The method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt according to claim 1 , wherein the sulfide has a powder form having a particle diameter of 300 μm or less.

7 . The method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt according to claim 1 , wherein after the solid containing copper and the leachate containing nickel and cobalt are separated, a treatment of removing copper remaining in the leachate is performed.

8 . The method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt according to claim 7 , wherein copper remaining in the leachate is removed by one or more types of methods selected from a sulfurizing treatment, an electrowinning treatment, and a neutralizing and precipitating treatment.

9 . The method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt according to claim 2 , wherein when the sulfide is brought into contact with the acid solution, addition amounts of the sulfide and the acid solution are adjusted such that an oxidation-reduction potential of the obtained leachate is maintained at 150 mV or less where a silver/silver chloride electrode is a reference electrode.

10 . The method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt according to claim 2 , wherein the acid solution is a solution containing one or more types selected from sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, and nitric acid.

11 . The method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt according to claim 3 , wherein the acid solution is a solution containing one or more types selected from sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, and nitric acid.

12 . The method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt according to claim 2 , wherein the material containing copper, nickel, and cobalt is a material that is obtained by heating and melting, and reducing scrap of a lithium ion battery.

13 . The method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt according to claim 3 , wherein the material containing copper, nickel, and cobalt is a material that is obtained by heating and melting, and reducing scrap of a lithium ion battery.

14 . The method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt according to claim 4 , wherein the material containing copper, nickel, and cobalt is a material that is obtained by heating and melting, and reducing scrap of a lithium ion battery.

15 . The method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt according to claim 2 , wherein the sulfide has a powder form having a particle diameter of 300 μm or less.

16 . The method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt according to claim 3 , wherein the sulfide has a powder form having a particle diameter of 300 μm or less.

17 . The method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt according to claim 4 , wherein the sulfide has a powder form having a particle diameter of 300 μm or less.

18 . The method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt according to claim 2 , wherein after the solid containing copper and the leachate containing nickel and cobalt are separated, a treatment of removing copper remaining in the leachate is performed.

19 . The method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt according to claim 3 , wherein after the solid containing copper and the leachate containing nickel and cobalt are separated, a treatment of removing copper remaining in the leachate is performed.

20 . The method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt according to claim 4 , wherein after the solid containing copper and the leachate containing nickel and cobalt are separated, a treatment of removing copper remaining in the leachate is performed.

Assignees

• Sumitomo Metal Mining Co

Inventors

• Takenouchi Hiroshi
• Kobayashi Hiroshi
• Shoji Hirofumi
• Higaki Tatsuya

Classifications

• Y02P10/20

  Recycling · CPC title

• B09B3/40

  involving thermal treatment, e.g. evaporation (processes using mineral binders involving a melting or softening step B09B3/29; involving radiation B09B3/50) · CPC title

• C22B15/0052

  Reduction smelting or converting · CPC title

• C22B15/0093

  by gases, e.g. hydrogen or hydrogen sulfide · CPC title

• C22B15/0056 Primary

  Scrap treating · CPC title