# US 12,000,018 B2 · Method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt

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- Number: US 12,000,018 B2
- Document ID: US12000018B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/648,826
- Filed: 2018-09-11
- Published: 2020-07-09
- Granted: 2024-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2017-10-23
- Assignees: Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Tatsuya Higaki; Hiroshi Takenouchi; Hiroshi Kobayashi; Satoshi Asano
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12000018B2

## CPC

- C22B 7/007: {by acid leaching}
- C01G 3/12: Sulfides
- C01G 51/10: Sulfates
- C01G 53/10: Sulfates
- C22B 3/08: Sulfuric acid {, other sulfurated acids or salts thereof}
- C22B 3/44: by chemical processes (treatment or purification of solutions by liquid-liquid extraction C22B3/26, by ion-exchange extraction C22B3/42)
- C22B 15/0071: {containing sulfur}
- C22B 23/043: {Sulfurated acids or salts thereof}
- C22B 23/0461: {by chemical methods}
- H01M 4/525: of mixed oxides or hydroxides containing iron, cobalt or nickel for inserting or intercalating light metals, e.g. LiNiO2, LiCoO2 or LiCoOxFy
- H01M 10/0525: Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries
- H01M 10/54: Reclaiming serviceable parts of waste accumulators
- Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries
- Y02P 10/20: Recycling
- Y02W 30/84: Recycling of batteries or fuel cells
- C22B: PRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS (electrolytic C25); PRETREATMENT OF RAW MATERIALS
- C01G: COMPOUNDS CONTAINING METALS NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C01D OR C01F (metal hydrides {monoborane, diborane or addition complexes thereof} C01B6/00; salts of oxyacids of halogens C01B11/00; peroxides, salts or peroxyacids C01B15/00; thiosulfates, dithionites, polythionates C01B17/64; compounds containing selenium, or tellurium C01B19/00; binary compounds of nitrogen with metals C01B21/06; azides C01B21/08; {compounds containing nitrogen, other non-metals and metal C01B21/082}; metal amides C01B21/092; nitrites C01B21/50; {compounds of noble gases C01B23/0005}; phosphides C01B25/08; salts of oxyacids of phosphorus C01B25/16; carbides C01B32/90; compounds containing silicon C01B33/00; compounds containing boron C01B35/00; compounds having molecular sieve properties but not having base-exchange properties C01B37/00; compounds having molecular sieve and base-exchange properties, e.g. crystalline zeolites, C01B39/00; cyanides C01C3/08; salts of cyanamide C01C3/16; thiocyanates C01C3/20)
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
- Y02W: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT

## Abstract

Provided is a method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt with which it is possible to selectively and efficiently separate copper, as well as nickel and cobalt, from an alloy including copper, nickel, and cobalt such as an alloy having high corrosion resistance that includes copper, nickel, and cobalt obtained by dry treatment of waste lithium ion cells. An alloy including copper, nickel, and cobalt is brought into contact with sulfuric acid in the joint presence of a sulfurizing agent, and a solid containing copper and a leachate containing nickel and cobalt are obtained.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt, the method comprising:
producing an alloy containing copper metal, nickel metal, and cobalt metal in the form of an alloy powder;
adding a sulfurization agent to the alloy powder to establish a joint presence of the sulfurization agent and the alloy powder;
wherein the sulfurization agent is one or more selected from the group consisting of elemental sulfur, hydrogen sulfide gas, sodium hydrogen sulfide and sodium sulfide; and
bringing the alloy powder into contact with sulfuric acid in the joint presence, whereby the nickel metal and the cobalt metal are leached from the alloy powder and the copper metal contained in the alloy powder is sulfurized by the sulfurization agent to obtain a solid containing copper sulfide and a leachate containing the nickel existing as an ion and the cobalt existing as an ion.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt according to claim 1,
wherein the alloy containing copper metal, nickel metal, and cobalt metal obtained by heating and melting, and reducing a waste lithium ion cell.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt according to claim 1,
wherein the alloy power has a particle diameter of less than or equal to 300 μm.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt according to claim 1,
wherein the solid containing the copper sulfide and the leachate containing the nickel existing as an ion and the cobalt existing as an ion are separated, and then, copper remaining in the leachate containing nickel and cobalt is removed.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt according to claim 2,
wherein the alloy power has a particle diameter of less than or equal to 300 μm.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt according to claim 2,
wherein the solid containing the copper sulfide and the leachate containing the nickel existing as an ion and the cobalt existing as an ion are separated, and then, copper remaining in the leachate containing nickel and cobalt is removed.

### Claim 7 (depends on 3)

The method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt according to claim 3,
wherein the solid containing the copper sulfide and the leachate containing the nickel existing as an ion and the cobalt existing as an ion are separated, and then, copper remaining in the leachate containing nickel and cobalt is removed.

### Claim 8 (depends on 4)

The method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt according to claim 4,
wherein copper remaining in the leachate containing nickel and cobalt is removed by one or more types of methods selected from sulfurizing, electrowinning, and neutralizing and precipitating.