Extraction of metals from lithium-ion battery material
AssigneeMetso Finland Oy
InventorsTuomas VAN DER MEER, Marika TIIHONEN, Annukka MAKINEN, Niko ISOMAKI, Roshan BUDHATHOKI
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Abstract
A method for extracting metals from the black mass of lithium-ion batteries, the black mass containing the anode and cathode materials of the batteries, and the cathode material including lithium and nickel. An arrangement is provided that is suitable for use in the method.
Claims32
A method for extracting metals from the black mass of lithium-ion batteries, the black mass containing the anode and cathode materials of the batteries, and the cathode material comprising lithium and nickel, the method comprising the following steps:
- a) one or more pre-treatment steps, wherein a fraction containing non-metallic material is separated from the black mass, and a pre-treated black mass containing anode and cathode materials is recovered,
- b) one or more leaching steps, carried out on a metal-containing leaching feed formed of the pre-treated black mass, combined with recycled lithium precipitate(s), the leaching step(s) including an acid leaching step carried out in a solution containing sulphuric acid, whereby metals of the leaching feed are dissolved, and a leach solution containing the dissolved metals is recovered, and
- c) metal separation steps, wherein initial fractions of metallic material are separated from the leach solution and main fractions containing at least nickel and lithium are recovered, whereby a fraction containing lithium is recovered after the recovery of a nickel fraction has taken place, and the recovery of the lithium fraction includes
- i. a step of reacting the lithium into lithium carbonate, followed by
- ii. a separation of the solids from the liquid, whereby
- the lithium-containing solids are recovered as such or reacted into a further lithium product, whereas
- the liquid effluent is reacted with a phosphate reagent, causing precipitation of the lithium remaining therein into a lithium phosphate precipitate, and
- at least a fraction of the obtained lithium precipitate is recycled to the acid leaching step.
An arrangement for extracting metals from the black mass of lithium-ion batteries, the black mass containing the anode and cathode materials of the batteries, wherein the cathode material comprises lithium and nickel, the arrangement comprising:
- one or more pre-treatment units for separating a fraction containing non-metallic components from the black mass, and recovering a pre-treated black mass containing the anode and cathode materials,
- one or more leaching units, for dissolving metals of the pre-treated black mass, combined with recycled lithium precipitate(s), and recovering a leach solution containing said dissolved metals, at least one leaching unit being in the form of an acid leaching unit, with inlets for sulphuric acid and possible extractants, and
- metal separation units for separating initial fractions of metallic material from the leach solution and for recovering main fractions containing at least nickel and lithium, whereby a lithium recovery unit is positioned downstream from a nickel recovery unit, and the lithium recovery unit includes the following subunits:
- a unit for reacting the lithium into solid lithium carbonate, from which a liquid effluent can be separated and carried further to
- a reaction unit for reacting the liquid effluent with a phosphate reagent, thus causing precipitation of the lithium remaining therein into a lithium phosphate precipitate, which can be separated from the remaining effluent and carried further via
- a recycle line to the acid leaching unit, in order to recover at least a fraction of the thus obtained lithium precipitate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.