Lithium ion battery scrap treatment method

A method for treating lithium ion battery scrap that contains Li, Co, Al, Cu and Fe and does not contain Ni, the method comprising carrying out a calcination step, a crushing step and a sieving step in this order, and after the steps, the method comprising:

• a leaching step of leaching the lithium ion battery scrap by adding it to an acidic solution to leave at least a part of Cu as a solid;
• a Fe/Al removal step comprising allowing a leached solution obtained in the leaching step to pass through a Fe removal process for separating and removing Fe under a condition at pH of 3.0 to 4.0 and an oxidation-reduction potential (ORPvsAg/AgCl) of 500 mV or more by addition of an oxidizing agent and an Al removal process for separating and removing a part of Al under a condition at pH of 4.0 to 6.0 and an oxidation-reduction potential (ORPvsAg/AgCl) of −500 mV to 100 mV by neutralization in any order;
• an Al/Mn extraction step of extracting a residue of Al and Mn from a separated solution obtained in the Fe/Al removal step by solvent extraction;
• a Co recovery step of extracting and back-extracting Co from a first extracted solution obtained in the Al/Mn extraction step by solvent extraction and recovering the Co by electrolytic winning;
• a Li concentration step of extracting and back-extracting, by solvent extraction, Li from a second extracted solution obtained by the solvent extraction in the Co recovery step and repeating the operations of the extracting and the back-extracting to concentrate Li;
• and
• a Li recovery step of carbonating Li in a Li concentrated solution obtained in the Li concentration step to recover the Li as lithium carbonate.

A method for treating lithium ion battery scrap containing Li, Ni, Co, Mn, Al, Cu and Fe, the method comprising:

• a leaching step of leaching the lithium ion battery scrap by adding it to an acidic solution to leave at least a part of Cu as a solid;
• a Fe/Al removal step comprising allowing a leached solution obtained in the leaching step to pass through a Fe removal process for separating and removing Fe under a condition at pH of 3.0 to 4.0 and an oxidation-reduction potential (ORPvsAg/AgCl) of 500 mV or more by addition of an oxidizing agent and an Al removal process for separating and removing a part of Al under a condition at pH of 4.0 to 6.0 and an oxidation-reduction potential (ORPvsAg/AgCl) of −500 mV to 100 mV by neutralization in any order;
• an Al/Mn extraction step of extracting and removing a residue of Al and Mn from a separated solution obtained in the Fe/Al removal step by solvent extraction;
• a Co recovery step of extracting and back-extracting Co from a first extracted solution obtained in the Al/Mn extraction step by solvent extraction and recovering the Co;
• a Ni recovery step of extracting and back-extracting, by solvent extraction, a part of Ni from a second extracted solution obtained by the solvent extraction in the Co recovery step and recovering the Ni.