Compositions and methods are provided that provide recovery of metals such as copper, nickel, cobalt, indium, and other metals are recovered from mine tailings, in situ ore bodies, or postconsumer waste. An amine-containing lixiviant is utilized to generate an aqueous solution of the desired metal from insoluble salts present in the source material. Metals can be recovered and further purified by various processes, including extraction into an immiscible organic solvent, electrowinning, crystallization, and chemical reduction. Spent lixiviant can be regenerated and recycled back into the metal recovery process.

The invention provides a method for reducing impurities from roasted molybdenum concentrate (RMC), comprising: performing a first treatment in a first reactor, on a portion of the RMC forming a first treated suspension, the first treatment comprises adding the portion of the RMC to a water-solution, wherein the first treated suspension has a temperature from 10° C. to 100° C. and a first pH value of from 2.1 to 5.0; performing a second treatment in a second reactor on a portion of the first treated suspension, the second treatment comprises adding the portion of the first treated suspension to an acid solution to form the second treated suspension, wherein the portion of the first treated suspension has a temperature <70° C., and wherein the second treated suspension has a second pH value between 1.5 and the first pH value; and separating a portion of the second treated suspension from the reactors.

The invention provides a method for reducing impurities from roasted molybdenum concentrate (RMC), comprising: performing a first treatment in a first reactor, on a portion of the RMC forming a first treated suspension, the first treatment comprises adding the portion of the RMC to a water-solution, wherein the first treated suspension has a temperature from 10° C. to 100° C. and a first pH value of from 2.1 to 5.0; performing a second treatment in a second reactor on a portion of the first treated suspension, the second treatment comprises adding the portion of the first treated suspension to an acid solution to form the second treated suspension, wherein the portion of the first treated suspension has a temperature <70° C., and wherein the second treated suspension has a second pH value between 1.5 and the first pH value; and separating a portion of the second treated suspension from the reactors.

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.

Disclosed is a method for producing battery-grade nickel sulfate by using laterite nickel ore comprising the following steps: sorting the laterite nickel ore to obtain lump ore and sediment ore; crushing the lump ore, and then performing heap leaching, to obtain a crude nickel sulfate solution A; separating the sediment ore to obtain high chromium ore, low iron, high magnesium ore, and high iron, low magnesium ore, and drying, roasting, reducing, and sulfurating the low iron, high magnesium ore to obtain low nickel matte; blowing and performing water extraction on the low nickel matte, and then performing oxygen pressure leaching, to obtain a crude nickel sulfate solution B; performing pressure leaching on the high iron, low magnesium ore to obtain a crude nickel sulfate solution C; and performing extraction on the crude nickel sulfate solutions A, B, and C, and then evaporating and crystallizing, to obtain battery-grade nickel sulfate.

A method of extracting metals from polymetallic sulphide ores or concentrates comprising at least Cu, Zn, Pb and Ag, comprising a first step of atmospheric leaching in sulphate medium in the presence of recycled silver for extracting Cu and Zn and a second step of atmospheric leaching in chloride medium for extracting Pb and Ag.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a high-purity nickel/cobalt mixed solution for cathode materials by using a two-circuit process, and particularly to a method for manufacturing a high-purity Ni/Co mixed solution for cathode materials by using a two circuit process that adopts a two-circuit process to extract cobalt and nickel in a simultaneous manner and prepare a Ni/Co mixed solution, thereby reducing the investment cost for the manufacturing process and downsizing mixer-settler facilities to maximize the efficiency of site utilization.

The present invention skips the crystallization process by using the two-circuit process, so it is possible to solve the problem of increasing the unit product cost due to the additional process cost, prevent an increase in the consumption of the adjuster solution in each mixer-setter tank for pH adjustment and the process costs, and realize eco-friendly effects, such as cutting down the production of the process wastewater.

A method for recovering lithium from lithium ion battery scrap according to this invention comprises subjecting lithium ion battery scrap to a calcination step, a crushing step, and a sieving step sequentially carried out, wherein the method comprises, between the calcination step and the crushing step, between the crushing step and the sieving step, or after the sieving step, a lithium dissolution step of bringing the lithium ion battery scrap into contact with water and dissolving lithium contained in the lithium ion battery scrap in the water to obtain a lithium-dissolved solution; a lithium concentration step of solvent-extracting lithium ions contained in the lithium-dissolved solution and stripping them to concentrate the lithium ions to obtain a lithium concentrate; and a carbonation step of carbonating the lithium ions in the lithium concentrate to obtain lithium carbonate.

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 of separating and recovering a cobalt salt and a nickel salt includes a separation step of separating, by using a nanofiltration membrane, a cobalt salt and a nickel salt from a rare metal-containing aqueous solution containing at least both the cobalt salt and the nickel salt as rare metals, in which the nanofiltration membrane has a glucose permeability of 3 times or more a sucrose permeability, the sucrose permeability of 10% or less, and an isopropyl alcohol permeability of 50% or more when a 1,000 mg/L glucose aqueous solution, a 1,000 mg/L sucrose aqueous solution, and a 1,000 mg/L isopropyl alcohol aqueous solution, each having a pH of 6.5 and a temperature of 25° C., individually permeate through the nanofiltration membrane at an operating pressure of 0.5 MPa.