Method for recovery of metals and metal alloys from waste lithium-ion batteries

A method for recovering metals and metal alloys from waste lithium-ion batteries, said method comprising the following steps:

• a. extracting copper (Cu) and aluminium (Al) from said waste lithium-ion batteries to obtain a black mass, wherein said extracting comprises:
• i. dipping said waste lithium-ion batteries in brine solution for a predetermined time period to obtain discharged batteries;
• ii. mechanically treating said discharged batteries to obtain a milled mixture containing particles comprising copper (Cu) and aluminium (Al) having a predetermined particle size;
• and black mass comprising lithium (Li) compound, cobalt (Co) compound, nickel (Ni) compound, manganese (Mn) compound and carbon (C) having a predetermined particle size;
• and
• iii. separating said fine particles from said coarse particles to obtain the black mass;
• b. extracting lithium contents from said black mass to obtain a residual black mass, wherein said lithium extracting comprises:
• i. heating said black mass at a temperature in the range of 700° C. to 900° C. for a time period in the range of 45 minutes to 90 minutes to reduce said compounds from said black mass to obtain a mixture comprising lithium carbonate, cobalt (Co) compound, nickel (Ni) compound and manganese (Mn) compound;
• and
• ii. extracting said lithium carbonate from said mixture in water and filtering to obtain a filtrate of fluid medium containing lithium carbonate and the residual black mass;
• c. processing said residual black mass for conversion of manganese to manganese oxide to obtain a treated black mass, wherein said mechanical treatment is done by using at least one of hammer mill, shredder, pulveriser, disc mill, cutting mill and ball mill;
• wherein said processing comprises thermal treating said residual black mass in the presence of oxygen having a predetermined flow rate at a temperature in the range of 1100° C. to 1200° C. for a time period in the range of 30 minutes to 90 minutes for the conversion of said manganese compound to manganese oxide (MnO) to obtain a treated black mass comprising manganese oxide (MnO), cobalt (Co) compound and nickel (Ni) compound;
• d. smelting said treated black mass by using a fluxing agent at a temperature in the range of 1455° C. to 1550° C. for a predetermined time period to obtain a smelted mixture comprising a melt of cobalt-nickel (Co—Ni) metal and a manganese rich slag;
• and
• e. casting said smelted mixture followed by cooling to obtain an alloy of cobalt—nickel (Co—Ni) and a separated manganese-rich slag as a residual mass, followed by separating said manganese-rich slag from said nuggets to obtain said cobalt—nickel (Co—Ni) alloy.