A method for breaking down electrochemical energy storage devices in conjunction with a subsequent reclamation of recyclable materials contained therein as secondary raw materials. The devices are broken down by a thermal treatment in a negative pressure environment in a process chamber to remove electrolyte and reactive substances, before the thermally treated material is subjected to downstream processing, by which the secondary raw materials are separated from one another. After introducing a batch of storage devices, in a first process step, the process chamber is evacuated with simultaneous heating of the devices to a first temperature level such that electrolytes in the devices evaporate and, due to the resulting vapor pressure, the devices are opened, wherein produced process gases containing electrolytes in the vapor phase are withdrawn from the process chamber. The devices are then heated to a second temperature level for further breakdown with a simultaneous pressure increase in the process chamber in a reducing atmosphere, before the chamber is ventilated and cooled and the broken down devices are removed, wherein the pressure increase is monitored during this second process step so that it increases continuously. Also, a thermal treatment system for removing electrolytes and reactive substances in electrochemical energy storage devices, thus for pyrolytically breaking them down.

Lead is recovered from lead paste of a lead acid battery in a continuous and electrochemical lead recovery process. In especially preferred aspects, lead paste is processed to remove residual sulfates, and the so treated lead paste is subjected to a thermal treatment step that removes residual moisture and reduces lead dioxide to lead oxide. Advantageously, such pretreatment will avoid lead dioxide accumulation and electrolyte dilution.

The present disclosure provides: a method for preparing a cathode active material precursor material by using a high-nickel-content waste lithium secondary battery; a method for preparing a cathode active material for a lithium secondary battery, including a cathode active material precursor material prepared by the method for preparing a cathode active material precursor material; and a cathode active material for a lithium secondary battery, prepared according to the method for preparing a cathode active material for a lithium secondary battery.

A method for recycling a positive electrode material. the method includes obtaining positive electrode material particles from a positive electrode. The method further includes mixing the positive electrode material particles with a solution or powder containing sodium ions and heat-treating the mixture including the positive electrode material particles and the solution or power containing sodium ions. The method further includes rinsing the heat-treated positive electrode material particles with water.

The present invention discloses additive for reducing the roasting temperature of fluxed magnetite pellets and a method of using it, consisting of components: B.sub.2O.sub.3, Mn.sub.2O.sub.3, the B.sub.2O.sub.3 and Mn.sub.2O.sub.3 are pure chemical reagents, the mass of the additive is 0.8%, 4% of the dry basis mass of the magnetite concentrate, respectively, the magnetite concentrate, bentonite clay, calcium flux and additives will be dosed with 12-14% water of the dry base mass ratio of the mixture, prepared into green pellets of 10-12.5 mm in diameter in a disc ball making machine. After the pellets are completely dried, preheat them for 15˜20 min at 600˜1000 ° C. to ensure that Mn.sub.2O.sub.3 is fully decomposed, then roasting is carried out for 15 min at 1200 ° C., and after roasting, the pellets are cooled to room temperature to obtain the finished pellets.

The present invention provides an environmentally safe method of collecting rare earth elements from mineral sources such as bastnasite deposits. The invention uses calcium hydroxide to decompose rare earth element minerals and avoids the use of sulfuric acid decomposition which produces toxic hydrofluoric acid as a byproduct. The invention's use of calcium hydroxide produces calcium fluoride as a byproduct which is non-toxic and has a number of industrial uses. The invention further provides a method of separating mixed rare earth element leachates into heavy and light rare earth element fractions using inorganic sodium salts as a precipitation agent.

The present disclosure concerns the production of precursor compounds for lithium battery cathodes. Batteries or their scrap are smelted in reducing conditions, thereby forming an alloy suitable for further hydrometallurgical refining, and a slag. The alloy is leached in acidic conditions, producing a Ni- and Co-bearing solution, which is refined. The refining steps are greatly simplified as most elements susceptible to interfere with the refining steps concentrate in the slag. Metals such as Co, Ni and Mn are then precipitated from the solution, forming a suitable starting product for the synthesis of new battery precursor compounds.

The invention discloses a method for cracking slag and smelting soot of the waste circuit board, belongs to the field of comprehensive recycling of valuable elements from typical soot of waste circuit boards, and particularly relates to a method for cracking slag and smelting soot of the waste circuit board for debromination and comprehensive recovery of copper and zinc. The method includes the following steps of: crushing and sorting, mixture roasting, reinforced leaching, replacement and silver precipitation, sulfuration and copper precipitation, and evaporation crystallization. Compared to traditional recycling technology, the purpose of treating two kinds of solid waste in a coupling mode through one recycling technology is achieved. Through mixed sulfuric acid roasting, the requirement of bromide synergistic removal of the waste circuit board cracking slag and smelting soot is met, and the purpose of selective conversion of copper and zinc is achieved.

A system for asbestos neutralization, that includes a neutralization unit having a module configured for sorting of asbestos waste, an asbestos waste grinder; a concentrated sulfuric acid tank, a vat containing a hot diluted acid solution, for which temperature is between 70° C. and 100° C., in which grinded asbestos waste containing asbestos is dipped, the solution is configured for neutralizing asbestos contained in the grinded asbestos waste, a filtration unit to separate, at the end of the neutralization reaction, a solid inert waste from a liquid phase of the diluted acid solution, a regeneration unit for the diluted acid solution, which adjusts the hydrogen potential of the extracted liquid phase by adding concentrated sulfuric acid from the tank, and means for transferring the regenerated solution into the vat.

Recovery of rare earth elements (REEs) from electronic wastes is a promising approach. The existing methods for separation of REE from the secondary sources are not economically viable and scalable. A method and system for separation of rare earth metals from a plurality of secondary sources has been provided. The magnet is obtained from the secondary sources which is then crushed to a coarser size. The powder is then demagnetized by heating and roasted at high temperature to obtain the metal oxides. The metals oxides are then dissolved by acid leaching to obtain leach liquor. Iron is removed from leach liquor by precipitation and separated by filtration. The individual REE is then separated by liquid-liquid extraction. The conditions in liquid-liquid extraction are adjusted such that only desired REE is separated. The extracted REE is then stripped out by acid. The individual rare earth element is then precipitated and dried.