Recovery of nickel and cobalt from black mass
AssigneeUmicore AG & Co. KG
InventorsRyohei Yagi, Lennart Scheunis
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention lies in the field of pyrometallurgy and discloses a process and a slag suitable for the recovery of Ni and Co from Li-ion batteries or their waste, particularly from Black Mass. The slag composition is defined according to: 25%<MnO<70%; Al2O3+0.5 MnO<45% SiO2>5%; Li2O>1%; MnO+Li2O+Al2O3+CaO+SiO2+FeO+MgO+P2O5>90%; and, wherein (CaO+2 Li2O+0.4 MnO)/SiO2≥2.0. This composition is particularly adapted to limit or avoid the wear or corrosion of furnaces lined with magnesia-bearing refractory bricks.
Claims26
Process for the recovery of Ni and Co from Li-ion batteries or their waste, comprising the steps:
- providing a furnace lined with magnesia-bearing refractory bricks;
- providing a charge comprising slag formers and Li-ion batteries or their waste, wherein the content of Al in the charge is less than 8%;
- and,
- smelting the charge in reducing conditions, thereby obtaining an alloy containing the major part of the Ni and Co, and a Li-containing slag, wherein the slag has a percent composition by weight according to:
- 25%<MnO<70%;
- Al2O3+0.5 MnO<45%
- SiO2>5%;
- Li2O>1%;
- MnO+Li2O+Al2O3+CaO+SiO2+FeO+MgO+P2O5>90%;
- and,
- wherein (CaO+2 Li2O+0.4 MnO)/SiO2≥2.0.
Li-containing metallurgical slag having a percent composition by weight according to:
- 25%<MnO<70%;
- Al2O3+0.5 MnO<45%
- SiO2>5%;
- Li2O>3%;
- MnO+Li2O+Al2O3+CaO+SiO2+FeO+MgO+P2O5>90%;
- and,
- wherein (CaO+2 Li2O+0.4 MnO)/SiO2≥2.0.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.