Lithium recovery device and lithium recovery method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025214041-A1
Application number	US-202218685284-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 26, 2022
Priority date	Aug 27, 2021
Publication date	Jul 3, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

This lithium recovery device 10C is provided with a processing tank 1 that is partitioned into a supply tank 11 and a recovery tank 13 by a lithium ion-conducting electrolyte membrane 2. In order to selectively move Li+ to an aqueous solution RS in the recovery tank 13 from an aqueous solution SW in the supply tank 11, the aqueous solution SW containing Li+ and other metal ions Mn+, this lithium recovery device 10C is also provided with: a first power supply 51 which is connected between a first electrode 31 that has a porous structure and is arranged so as to be in contact with a supply tank 11-side surface of the electrolyte membrane 2 and a second electrode 32A that is arranged within the recovery tank 13, in such a manner that the first electrode 31 functions as the positive electrode; and a sub power supply 53 which is connected in series to the positive electrode of the first power supply 51, while having the positive electrode thereof connected to a sub electrode 41 that is arranged within the supply tank 11 at a distance from the electrolyte membrane 2.

First claim

1 . A lithium recovery device including a processing tank partitioned into a first chamber and a second chamber, in which lithium ions are moved from an aqueous solution containing lithium ions stored in the first chamber to water or an aqueous solution stored in the second chamber, comprising:
a lithium ion-conducting electrolyte membrane that partitions the processing tank; a porous-structure first electrode provided in contact with a surface of the lithium ion-conducting electrolyte membrane on the first chamber side; a second electrode provided in the second chamber so as to be spaced apart from the lithium ion-conducting electrolyte membrane; a sub-electrode provided in the first chamber so as to be spaced apart from the first electrode and the lithium ion-conducting electrolyte membrane; a first power supply connected between the first electrode and the second electrode with the first electrode as a positive electrode; and a sub-power supply which connects in series to a positive electrode of the first power supply and has a positive electrode connected to the sub-electrode.

2 . A lithium recovery device including a processing tank partitioned into a first chamber and a second chamber, in which lithium ions are moved from an aqueous solution containing lithium ions stored in the first chamber to water or an aqueous solution stored in the second chamber, comprising:
a lithium ion-conducting electrolyte membrane that partitions the processing tank; a porous-structure first electrode provided in contact with a surface of the lithium ion-conducting electrolyte membrane on the first chamber side, and a second electrode provided in contact with a surface of the lithium ion-conducting electrolyte membrane on the second chamber side; a sub-electrode provided in the first chamber so as to be spaced apart from the first electrode and the lithium ion-conducting electrolyte membrane; a third electrode provided in the second chamber so as to be spaced apart from the second electrode and the lithium ion-conducting electrolyte membrane; a first power supply connected between the first electrode and the second electrode with the first electrode as a positive electrode; a sub-power supply that connects in series to a positive electrode of the first power supply and has a positive electrode connected to the sub-electrode; and a second power supply that connects in series to a negative electrode of the first power supply and has a negative electrode connected to the third electrode.

3 . The lithium recovery device according to claim 2 , wherein a voltage of the first power supply is higher than or equal to a voltage applied to the lithium ion-conducting electrolyte membrane to reach a reduction potential of at least one of metal elements contained in the lithium ion-conducting electrolyte membrane.

4 . The lithium recovery device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
one or more ion exchange membranes that conduct cations including at least lithium ions, wherein the processing tank is partitioned in one direction into the first chamber, one or more intermediate chambers, and the second chamber in this order, the lithium ion-conducting electrolyte membrane partitions the processing tank into the second chamber and the intermediate chamber adjacent thereto, the ion exchange membrane partitions the processing tank into the intermediate chamber and the intermediate chamber adjacent thereto or the first chamber, and lithium ions are moved from an aqueous solution containing lithium ions stored in the first chamber to water or an aqueous solution stored in the second chamber through water or an aqueous solution stored in the intermediate chamber.

5 . The lithium recovery device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a circulator for circulating an aqueous solution containing lithium ions between the outside and the inside of the first chamber.

6 . A lithium recovery method for moving lithium ions, in a processing tank partitioned into a first chamber and a second chamber, from an aqueous solution containing lithium ions stored in the first chamber to water or an aqueous solution stored in the second chamber, wherein
a voltage is applied by a first power supply connected between a porous-structure first electrode provided in contact with a surface of a lithium ion-conducting electrolyte membrane, which partitions the processing tank, on the first chamber side, and a second electrode provided in the second chamber so as to be spaced apart from the lithium ion-conducting electrolyte membrane, with the first electrode as a positive electrode and a sub-power supply which connects in series to a positive electrode of the first power supply and has a positive electrode connected to a sub-electrode provided in the first chamber so as to be spaced apart from the lithium ion-conducting electrolyte membrane.

7 . A lithium recovery method for moving lithium ions, in a processing tank partitioned into a first chamber and a second chamber, from an aqueous solution containing lithium ions stored in the first chamber to water or an aqueous solution stored in the second chamber, wherein
a voltage is applied by a first power supply connected between a porous-structure first electrode provided in contact with a surface of a lithium ion-conducting electrolyte membrane, which partitions the processing tank, on the first chamber side, and a porous-structure second electrode provided in contact with a surface of the lithium ion-conducting electrolyte membrane on the second chamber side, with the first electrode as a positive electrode, a sub-power supply which connects in series to a positive electrode of the first power supply and has a positive electrode connected to a sub-electrode provided in the first chamber so as to be spaced apart from the lithium ion-conducting electrolyte membrane, and a second power supply which connects in series to a negative electrode of the first power supply and has a negative electrode connected to a third electrode provided in the second chamber so as to be spaced apart from the lithium ion-conducting electrolyte membrane.

8 . The lithium recovery method, according to claim 7 , wherein the first power supply applies a voltage that is higher than or equal to a voltage applied to the lithium ion-conducting electrolyte membrane to reach a reduction potential of at least one of metal elements contained in the lithium ion-conducting electrolyte membrane.

9 . The lithium recovery method, according to claim 6 , wherein
the processing tank is partitioned in one direction into the first chamber, one or more intermediate chambers, and the second chamber in this order, the intermediate chamber and the intermediate chamber adjacent thereto or the first chamber are partitioned by an ion exchange membrane that conducts cations including at least lithium ions, the second chamber and the intermediate chamber adjacent thereto are partitioned by the lithium ion-conducting electrolyte membrane, and lithium ions are moved from an aqueous solution containing lithium ions stored in the first chamber to water or an aqueous solution stored in the second chamber through water or an aqueous solution stored in the intermediate chamber.

10 . The lithium recovery device according to claim 2 , further comprising:
one or more ion exchange membranes that conduct cations including at least lithium ions, wherein the processing tank is partitioned in one direction into the first chamber, one or more intermediate chambers, and the second chamber in this order, the lithium ion-conducting electrolyte membrane partitions the processing tank into the second chamber and the intermediate chamber adjacent thereto, t

Assignees

• Univ Hirosaki

Inventors

• Sasaki Kazuya
• SHINMURA Kiyoto

Classifications

• Y02W30/84

  Recycling of batteries or fuel cells · CPC title

• B01D2313/365

  Electrical sources · CPC title

• B01D2313/345

  Electrodes · CPC title

• B01D61/464

  comprising the membrane sequence CC · CPC title

• B01D2325/50

  Membrane in gel form · CPC title