Process for the recovery of cathode materials in the recycling of batteries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022149452-A1
Application number	US-202017601865-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 14, 2020
Priority date	Apr 15, 2019
Publication date	May 12, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

A process for removal of aluminium and iron in the recycling of rechargeable batteries comprising providing a leachate from black mass, adding phosphoric acid (H3PO4) to said leachate and adjusting the pH to form iron phosphate (FePO4) and aluminium phosphate (AlPO4), precipitating and removing the formed FePO4 and AlPO4, and forming a filtrate for further recovery of cathode metals, mainly NMC-metals and lithium.

First claim

1 - 14 . (canceled)

15 . A process for removal of aluminum and iron in the recycling of rechargeable batteries, said process comprising:
providing a leachate from black mass, adding phosphoric acid (H 3 PO 4 ) to the provided leachate, adjusting the pH to form iron phosphate (FePO 4 ) and aluminum phosphate (AlPO 4 ), precipitating and removing the formed FePO 4 and AlPO 4 , and forming a filtrate for recovery of cathode metals.

16 . The process according to claim 15 , wherein the rechargeable batteries are rechargeable lithium ion batteries.

17 . The process according to claim 15 , wherein the precipitation is performed in two steps at different pH levels.

18 . The process according to claim 17 , wherein the pH in a first precipitation step is adjusted to an interval of pH 1.5 to 4.

19 . The process according to claim 18 , wherein the interval of pH is either: 1.5 to 3.5 or 1.5 to 3.

20 . The process according to claim 17 , wherein the pH, in a second step, is adjusted to an interval of pH 2.5 to 6.5.

21 . The process according to claim 20 , wherein the interval of pH is either: 2.5 to 6 or 2.5 to 4.

22 . The process according to claim 17 , wherein crystallization seeds are added to precipitate FePO 4 and AlPO 4 in the first precipitation step.

23 . The process according to claim 22 , wherein the crystallization seeds comprise aluminum and iron phosphate crystals and wherein said seeds are added in an amount of 0.05-0.3 g/L.

24 . The process according to claim 23 , wherein the amount of added seeds is either 0.05-0.2 g/L or 0.05-0.15 g/L.

25 . The process according to claim 17 , wherein the two precipitation steps are conducted at a temperature in an interval of 20-95° C.

26 . The process according to claim 25 , wherein the temperature interval is either: 55-85° C. or 65-75° C.

27 . The process according to claim 17 , wherein each of the two precipitation steps has a residence time in an interval of 2-24 h.

28 . The process according to claim 17 , wherein the residence time interval is one of: 12-18 h, 2-12 h, or 2-6 h.

29 . The process according to claim 17 , wherein a higher amount of FePO 4 and AlPO 4 is precipitated in the first precipitation step than in the second precipitation step.

30 . The process according to claim 15 , wherein the precipitate comprising FePO4 and AlPO4 is washed with an aqueous solution having a pH in an interval of pH 1.5-5.5.

31 . The process according to claim 15 , wherein the aqueous solution pH interval is 1.5-2.5.

32 . The process according to claim 15 , wherein the filtrate comprises:
lithium, nickel, manganese and cobalt, and less than 10 ppm of one or more of aluminum, iron, or copper.

33 . The process according to claim 15 , wherein the leachate provided from the black mass is substantially copper free.

34 . The process according to claim 15 , wherein copper is recovered subsequently to the removal of aluminum and iron.

Assignees

• Northvolt Ab

Inventors

• Alemrajabi Mahmood
• Karlsson Ingrid
• Sjödahl Ragnar
• Nehrenheim Emma
• Petranikova Martina
• Tunsu Cristian

Classifications

• B09B2101/16

  Batteries · CPC title

• B09B3/70

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

• B09B3/30

  involving mechanical treatment (involving an extraction step B09B3/80) · CPC title

• B09B3/00

  Destroying solid waste or transforming solid waste into something useful or harmless · CPC title

• C22B47/0081

  Treatment or purification of solutions, e.g. obtained by leaching (C22B47/0054 takes precedence) · CPC title