Processes for extracting metals from lithium-ion batteries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021395859-A1
Application number	US-201917286289-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 25, 2019
Priority date	Oct 30, 2018
Publication date	Dec 23, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

Processes are described for extracting metals from a combination derived from spent lithium-ion batteries and comprising such metals, a liquid, an acid, and other components.

First claim

1 . A process for extracting one or more metals from a combination comprising the one or more metals, a liquid, an acid, and one or more other components, wherein the process comprises:
(A) adding a reducing agent to the combination, wherein the reducing agent is adapted to reduce a substantial portion of the one or more metals and to have no substantial effect on the one or more other components, thus producing a leachate comprising Fe(II) and Mn(II); (B) adjusting the pH of the combination so as to form a precipitate comprising aluminum; and (C) removing the Fe(II) and the Mn(II) from the leachate by adding an oxidizing agent to the leachate, wherein the oxidizing agent comprises one or more salts of permanganate anion (MnO 4 − ), ozone, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, a halogen, perchlorate, or chlorite.

2 . A process according to claim 1 , wherein the reducing agent comprises sodium thiosulfate.

3 . A process according to claim 2 , wherein in step (B) the pH is in the range of from about 2 to about 8.

4 . A process according to claim 2 , wherein in step (B) the pH is in the range of from about 3.5 to about 4.5.

5 . A process comprising:
(A) extracting one or more metals from a combination comprising said 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 spent lithium ion batteries and the extracting comprises adding a reducing agent comprising sodium thiosulfate to the combination, wherein the reducing agent is adapted to reduce a substantial portion of the one or more metals and to have no substantial effect on the one or more other components, thus producing a leachate comprising Fe(II) and Mn(II); and (B) removing the Fe(II) and the Mn(II) from the leachate by adding an oxidizing agent to the leachate, wherein the oxidizing agent comprises one or more salts of permanganate anion (MnO 4 − ), ozone, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, a halogen, perchlorate, or chlorite.

6 . A process comprising:
(A) 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 the foregoing; (B) contacting the mass with an acid to form a combination; (C) contacting the combination with a reducing agent so as to form an acid leachate, wherein the reducing agent comprises sodium thiosulfate; (D) adjusting the pH of the acid leachate so as to form a precipitate comprising aluminum; (E) separating the precipitate from the acid leachate and contacting at least a portion of the acid leachate with an oxidizing agent, wherein the oxidizing agent comprises one or more selected from the group consisting of salts of permanganate anion (MnO 4 − ), ozone, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, a halogen, perchlorate, chlorite, and any combination of two or more of the foregoing; and (F) extracting from the acid leachate one or more selected from the group consisting of lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, iron, aluminum, and any combination of two or more of the foregoing.

7 . A process according to claim 6 , wherein in step (D) the pH of the acid leachate is in the range of from about 2 to about 8.

8 . The process of claim 6 , wherein in step (D) the pH of the acid leachate is in the range of from about 3.5 to about 4.5.

9 . The process of claim 6 , wherein one or more compounds comprising aluminum are extracted from the acid leachate by filtration.

10 . (canceled)

11 . The process of claim 6 , wherein the oxidizing agent comprises one or more salts of permanganate anion (MnO 4 − ).

12 . The process of claim 6 , wherein in step (F) lithium is extracted from the acid 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 the foregoing.

13 . The process of claim 6 , wherein in step (F) cobalt is extracted from the acid leachate as one selected from the group consisting of cobalt sulfate, cobalt chloride, cobalt nitrate, and any combination of two or more of the foregoing.

Assignees

• Albemarle Corp

Inventors

• Ding Nan

Classifications

• Y02P10/20

  Recycling · CPC title

• Y02W30/84

  Recycling of batteries or fuel cells · CPC title

• C22B7/007

  by acid leaching · CPC title

• C22B3/08

  Sulfuric acid {, other sulfurated acids or salts thereof} · CPC title

• C22B23/043

  Sulfurated acids or salts thereof · CPC title