A process for recovering cobalt ion, nickel ion and manganese ion from metal-containing residues

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023304126-A1
Application number	US-202118017828-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 2, 2021
Priority date	Aug 3, 2020
Publication date	Sep 28, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention relates to a process for recovering one or more metal ions selected from the group consisting of Cobalt, Nickel, Manganese and a mixture thereof from metal-containing residues comprising: A) leaching the residue with a leaching solution comprising lactic acid to obtain a filtrate 1 and a solid cake 1; B) separating the filtrate 1; C) precipitating the Cobalt lactate, Nickel lactate or Manganese lactate from the filtrate 1 to obtain a filtrate 2 and a precipitate 1; and D) separating the precipitate 1; or alternatively, A) leaching the residue with the leaching solution to obtain a filtrate 1 and a solid cake 1; E) precipitating the Cobalt lactate, Nickel lactate or Manganese lactate from the filtrate 1 to obtain a filtrate 3 and a solid cake 2; and F) separating the solid cake 2; and G) separating the Cobalt lactate, Nickel lactate or Manganese lactate from the solid cake 2.

First claim

1 . A process for recovering one or more metal ions selected from the group consisting of Cobalt, Nickel, Manganese and a mixture thereof from a metal-containing residue comprising:
A) leaching a residue with a leaching solution comprising lactic acid to obtain a leaching mixture formed by a filtrate 1 comprising a Cobalt lactate, the a Nickel lactate, a Manganese lactate or a mixture thereof and a solid cake 1 ; B) separating the filtrate 1 from the leaching mixture obtained in step A); C) precipitating the Cobalt lactate, Nickel lactate, Manganese lactate or a mixture thereof from the filtrate 1 obtained in step B) to obtain a precipitating mixture formed by a filtrate 2 and a precipitate 1 comprising the Cobalt lactate, the Nickel lactate, the Manganese lactate or a mixture thereof; and D) separating the precipitate 1 comprising the Cobalt lactate, the Nickel lactate, the Manganese lactate or a mixture thereof from the precipitating mixture obtained in step C); or alternatively, A) leaching the residue with a leaching solution comprising lactic acid to obtain a leaching mixture formed by a filtrate 1 comprising the Cobalt lactate, the Nickel lactate, the Manganese lactate or a mixture thereof and a solid cake 1 ; E) precipitating the Cobalt lactate, the Nickel lactate, the Manganese lactate or a mixture thereof from the filtrate 1 obtained in step A) to obtain a precipitating mixture formed by a filtrate 3 and a solid cake 2 comprising the Cobalt lactate, the Nickel lactate, the Manganese lactate or a mixture thereof; and F) separating the solid cake 2 from the precipitating mixture obtained in step E); and G) separating the Cobalt lactate, the Nickel lactate, the Manganese lactate or a mixture thereof from the solid cake 2 .

2 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the residue is selected from the group consisting of spent battery, metal alloy and metal catalyst.

3 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the residue is selected from a residue comprising Cobalt, a residue comprising Nickel, a residue comprising Manganese, a residue comprising Cobalt and Nickel, a residue comprising Cobalt and Manganese, a residue comprising Nickel and Manganese and a residue comprising Cobalt, Nickel and Manganese.

4 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein:
the filtrate 2 obtained in step D) is used in step A) as a leaching solution; or alternatively, the filtrate 3 obtained in step F) is used in step A) as a leaching solution.

5 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the process further comprises an additional step of submitting the filtrate 2 obtained in step D), the filtrate 3 obtained in step F), a mixture of filtrates 2 obtained in step D), a mixture of filtrate 3 obtained in step F) or a mixture thereof under such conditions to recover one or more metal ion selected from the group consisting of Lithium ion, cooper ion, aluminum ion and a mixture thereof.

6 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the residue is in form of black mass.

7 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the leaching solution further comprises one or more organic acids, one or more reducing agents, one or more proton acceptors, one or more solvents and a mixture thereof.

8 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the leaching solution comprises from 10 to 40% by weight of lactic acid in relation to the total weight of the leaching solution.

9 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the leaching solution:
consists of lactic acid and water; or alternatively comprises lactic acid, choline chloride, citric acid and water.

10 . The process according to claim 9 , wherein the leaching solution comprises:
from 10 to 40% by weight of lactic acid in relation to the total weight of the leaching solution; from 5 to 30% of choline chloride in relation to the total weight of the leaching solution; from 2 to 11% by weight of citric acid in relation to the total weight of the leaching solution; and enough quantity of water up to 100% by weight.

11 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein each one of the steps A, C and E is performed at a temperature from 20° C. to 100° C.

12 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the weight relation between the residue and the leaching solution in step A is from 1:5 to 1:70.

13 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein:
each one of the separating steps B), D) and F) is performed by filtration; and the separating step G) is performed by mixing the solid cake 2 obtained in step F) with a solvent selected from water and a mixture of water with one or more miscible organic solvents.

14 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein:
the recovery yield of Cobalt ion from the residue is equal to or higher than 50% by weight; the recovery yield of Nickel ion from the residue is equal to or higher than 48% by weight; and the recovery yield of Manganese ion from the residue is equal to or higher than 32% by weight.

15 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein:
the extraction yield of Cobalt ion is higher than 80% by weight; the extraction yield of Nickel is higher than 73% by weight; and the extraction yield of Manganese is higher than 87% by weight.

16 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the process further comprises an additional step of adding to the resulting leaching mixture obtained in step A) one or more additives selected from the group consisting of reducing agents and oxidizing agents.

Assignees

• Fundacion Tecnalia Res & Innovation

Inventors

• Hidalgo Betanzos Joaquin
• Yurramendi Sarasola Lourdes
• Siriwardana Amal Inoka
• Del Río Gaztelurrutia Carmen

Classifications

• C22B23/0415 Primary

  with acids or salt solutions except ammonium salts solutions · CPC title

• C22B47/0063

  with acids or salt solutions (C22B47/0072 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C22B47/009

  refining, e.g. separation of metals obtained by the above methods · CPC title

• C22B23/0453

  Treatment or purification of solutions, e.g. obtained by leaching (C22B23/0407 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C22B7/007

  by acid leaching · CPC title