# US 2023/0056619 A1 · Process of extraction of lithium from a material comprising lithium and at least another metal

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- Number: US 2023/0056619 A1
- Document ID: US20230056619A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/759,128
- Filed: 2021-01-19
- Published: 2023-02-23
- Earliest claimed: 2020-01-23
- Assignees: Universite De Rouen Normandie; Institut National Des Sciences Appliquees De Rouen; Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique; Ecole Nationale Superieure D'Ingenieurs De Caen; Universite De Caen Normandie
- Applicants: Universite De Rouen-Normandie; Institut National Des Sciences AppliquéEs De Rouen; Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique; Ecole Nationale Superieure D'Ingenieurs De Caen; Universite De Caen Normandie
- Inventors: Firas AYADI; Virginie NACHBAUR; Valérie PRALONG
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20230056619A1

## CPC

- C22B 26/12: Obtaining lithium
- C22B 3/16: in organic solutions
- C22B 7/006: {Wet processes}
- 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
- 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

The present invention is in the field of the extraction of lithium from a material comprising lithium and at least another metal. In particular, the invention concerns a process of extraction of lithium at least, from a material comprising lithium and at least another metal.

## Claims

### Claim 1

Process of extraction of lithium from a material comprising lithium and at least another metal, said process comprising the following steps:
a) contacting said material with a polyol solvent and a carbonate to obtain a reaction mixture;
b) performing a solvothermal treatment of the reaction mixture obtained in step a) to obtain a solvothermally treated composition SP1;
c) separating the liquid L1 containing lithium carbonate and the solid S1 forming the composition SP1 obtained in step b);
d) optionally, isolating solid lithium carbonate from the liquid L1.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

Process according to claim 1, comprising after step d), the following steps:
e) contacting the solid S1 with water to obtain a composition SP2;
f) separating the liquid L2 containing lithium carbonate and the solid S2 forming the composition SP2 obtained in step e);
g) optionally, isolating solid lithium carbonate from the liquid L2.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

Process according to claim 1, wherein the at least another metal is chosen from transition metals and post-transition metals.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

Process according to claim 1, wherein the material is a lithium-ion battery cathode material or a lithium ore.

### Claim 5

(canceled)

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

Process according to claim 1, wherein the polyol solvent is chosen from the group comprising ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, propylene diol, liquid polyethylene glycols, butylene glycol, and glycerol.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

Process according to claim 1, wherein the carbonate is at least one metal carbonate.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

Process according to claim 1, further including steps of repeating steps a)-d) on a fresh batch of said material, wherein the polyol solvent used in the repeated step a) is the liquid L1 of the previous step a).

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

Process according to claim 1, wherein the solvothermal treatment of step b) is performed at a temperature over the boiling point of the polyol solvent and under 500° C.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

Process according to claim 1, wherein the solvothermal treatment of step b) is performed at a pressure above atmospheric pressure.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

Process according to claim 1, wherein the solvothermal treatment of step b) is performed for 1 hour to 1 week.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

Process according to claim 1, wherein the solid S1 obtained in step c) is prior to step e) washed with a solvent in which lithium carbonate is not soluble.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

Process according to claim 1, wherein the at least another metal is at least a magnetic metal, or at least a magnetic metal and at least a non magnetic metal, and wherein the separating step f) may comprise a magnetic separating sub-step f1), to isolate the at least a magnetic metal from the composition SP1, followed by a separating sub-step f2) corresponding to the separating step f) as defined above.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

Process according to claim 1, of lithium-ion battery cathode recycling, wherein step a) is preceded by a step of recovery of a lithium-ion battery cathode material from a lithium-ion battery, and last step d) being optionally followed by a step of use of at least one of the above-mentioned metals in a new process or device.

### Claim 15 (depends on 4)

Composition SP1 obtainable by the process defined in claim 4.

### Claim 16

Composition comprising:
a material chosen from lithium-ion battery cathode materials and lithium ores;
a carbonate; and
a polyol solvent.

### Claim 17 (depends on 2)

Process according to claim 2, of lithium-ion battery cathode recycling, wherein step a) is preceded by a step of recovery of a lithium-ion battery cathode material from a lithium-ion battery, and last step g) being optionally followed by a step of use of at least one of the above-mentioned metals in a new process or device.