Process, apparatus, and system for recovering materials from batteries

A process for recovering materials from rechargeable lithium-ion batteries comprising:

• i) processing lithium-ion batteries to form a size-reduced feed stream;
• ii) separating the size-reduced feed stream into a magnetic product stream and a non-magnetic feed stream;
• iii) optionally isolating a ferrous product from the magnetic product stream;
• iv) stripping the non-magnetic feed stream with a stripping solvent to form a stripped slurry stream;
• v) separating the stripped slurry stream into an oversize solids portion and an undersize stripped slurry stream;
• vi) optionally separating the oversize solids portion of the stripped slurry stream into a preliminary aluminum product stream, a preliminary copper product stream, and a plastic product stream;
• vii) subjecting the undersize stripped slurry stream to a solid-liquid separation to form a black mass solid stream and recovered stripping solvent;
• viii) leaching the black mass solid stream with an acid to form a pregnant leach solution and residual solids;
• ix) separating the pregnant leach solution from the residual solids to form a first product stream comprising the residual solids and a second product stream comprising the pregnant leach solution;
• x) optionally isolating a graphite product from the first product stream;
• xi) isolating a copper product from the second product stream to form a third product stream;
• xii) isolating an aluminum (Al) and/or iron (Fe) product from the third product stream to form a fourth product stream;
• xiii) isolating a cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), and/or manganese (Mn) product from the fourth product stream to form a fifth product stream;
• xiv) isolating a salt by-product from the fifth product stream to form a sixth product stream;
• and
• xv) isolating a lithium product from the sixth product stream.