Lithium slag leach solution refining by hydroxide precipitation
J. Min. Metall. Sect. B-Metall., 59 (3) (2023) 489-496. DOI:10.2298/JMMB231020042K
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Available online 22 December 2023
(Received 30 October 2023; Accepted 22 December 2023)
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Lithium-ion batteries contain many of critically important metals and their effective recy-cling is key to the EU’s sustainable development. In the past, only metals such as Co, Ni, and Cu were recycled by pyrometallurgy, while Li and Al were concentrated in the slags and not further processed. The novel approach of pyrometallurgical treatment of the black mass offers the possibility of further hydrometallurgical utilization of the slags. This paper exam-ines the refining of the solution obtained by leaching the slag in sulfuric acid. The most val-uable element in the leach solution is Li, but it also contains Al, Si, Co, Mn, Ni and Cu, which must be removed before high-purity Li recovery is possible. Purification is achieved by adjusting the pH adjustment by adding NaOH. The results confirm that Al and Mn can be removed by 100%, Si by 93.56%, Cu by 86.36% and Cu by 61.75%. The results also con-firmed that solution refining by the adding NaOH causes lithium losses ranging from 10% at pH 7 to 28% at pH 12. Therefore, it is suggested that further solution refining methods should be combined before precipitating pure Li2CO3 with minimal losses.
Keywords: Lithium-ion battery; Recycling; Hydrometallurgy; Precipitation; Hydroxide; Lithium hydroxide
Correspondence Address:
D. Orac,
Technical University of Košice, Faculty of Materials, Metallurgy and Recycling, Institute of Recycling Technologies, Kosice, Slovakia;
email: dusan.orac@tuke.sk
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