Method for recovering valuable metals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025125433-A1
Application number	US-202218685250-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 29, 2022
Priority date	Aug 25, 2021
Publication date	Apr 17, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided is a method for recovering valuable metals that makes it possible to efficiently recover valuable metals at a high recovery rate. The present invention is a method for recovering the valuable metal from a raw material that contains the valuable metal. This method comprises: a preparation step for preparing a raw material; a melting step for introducing the raw material into a melting furnace and heating and melting the raw material to yield an alloy and a slag; and a slag separation step for separating the slag and recovering a valuable metal-containing alloy. The redox degree is adjusted in the melting step by introducing, as a reducing agent, scrap of a wound body, the wound body being an electrode assembly in which a positive electrode and a negative electrode are wound insulated from each other by a separator and carbon is used in the negative electrode.

First claim

1 . A method for recovering a valuable metal from sources containing the valuable metal, comprising:
a step of preparing the source; a step of melting the sources by charging the sources into a melting furnace and heating the sources to obtain an alloy and a slag; and a step of separating the slag to recover the alloy containing the valuable metal, the melting step comprising adjusting a redox degree by feeding, as a reducing agent, a scrap of a wound body, the wound body being an electrode assembly wound in a state where its positive and negative electrodes are insulated from each other by a separator and having a negative electrode formed of carbon, into a molten product produced after melting the sources by heating.

2 . (canceled)

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the melting step comprises adding a flux to the sources when the sources are molten by heating.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the melting step comprises controlling an oxygen partial pressure in the molten product to within a range of 10 −14 atm or higher and 10 −11 atm or lower.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising a step of oxidatively-roasting the sources, and
subjecting an oxidatively-roasted material obtained through the oxidative roasting step to the melting step.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the valuable metal comprises at least one metal or alloy selected from a group consisting of copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), and combinations thereof.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the sources comprise discarded lithium ion batteries.

8 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein the melting step comprises controlling an oxygen partial pressure in the molten product to within a range of 10 −14 atm or higher and 10 −11 atm or lower.

9 . The method according to claim 3 , further comprising a step of oxidatively-roasting the sources, and
subjecting an oxidatively-roasted material obtained through the oxidative roasting step to the melting step.

10 . The method according to claim 4 , further comprising a step of oxidatively-roasting the sources, and
subjecting an oxidatively-roasted material obtained through the oxidative roasting step to the melting step.

11 . The method according to claim 8 , further comprising a step of oxidatively-roasting the sources, and
subjecting an oxidatively-roasted material obtained through the oxidative roasting step to the melting step.

12 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein the valuable metal comprises at least one metal or alloy selected from a group consisting of copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), and combinations thereof.

13 . The method according to claim 4 , wherein the valuable metal comprises at least one metal or alloy selected from a group consisting of copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), and combinations thereof.

14 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein the valuable metal comprises at least one metal or alloy selected from a group consisting of copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), and combinations thereof.

15 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein the valuable metal comprises at least one metal or alloy selected from a group consisting of copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), and combinations thereof.

16 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the valuable metal comprises at least one metal or alloy selected from a group consisting of copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), and combinations thereof.

17 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the valuable metal comprises at least one metal or alloy selected from a group consisting of copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), and combinations thereof.

18 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein the sources comprise discarded lithium ion batteries.

19 . The method according to claim 4 , wherein the sources comprise discarded lithium ion batteries.

20 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein the sources comprise discarded lithium ion batteries.

21 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein the sources comprise discarded lithium ion batteries.

Assignees

• Sumitomo Metal Mining Co

Inventors

• Yamashita Yu
• Nagakura Toshihiko
• HAGIO Tomoya

Classifications

• C22B23/02

  by dry processes · CPC title

• C22B23/005

  Preliminary treatment of ores, e.g. by roasting or by the Krupp-Renn process · CPC title

• C22B15/0056

  Scrap treating · CPC title

• C22B15/0015

  Oxidizing roasting · CPC title

• C22B7/004

  separating two or more metals by melting out (liquation), i.e. heating above the temperature of the lower melting metal component(s); by fractional crystallisation (controlled freezing) · CPC title