Process for the recovery of transition metal from spent lithium ion batteries containing nickel, wherein said process comprises the steps of (a) heating a lithium containing transition metal oxide material to a temperature in the range of from 400 to 1200° C., (b) treating said heat-treated material with water, (c) treating the solid residue from step (b)with an acid selected from sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, methanesulfonic acid, oxalic acid and citric acid, (d) adjusting the pH value to 2.5 to 8, (e) removing compounds of Al, Cu, Fe, Zn or combinations of at least two of the foregoing from the solution or slurry obtained in step (d).

A process is disclosed for the recovery of a metal from a pyrite-bearing material. The process comprises thermally decomposing the pyrite-bearing material so as to produce a material comprising pyrrhotite (FeS). The process also comprises leaching the material comprising pyrrhotite with an acid such that the iron in the pyrrhotite is oxidised to a +3 oxidation state, elemental sulphur is produced and the metal is released from the pyrite-bearing material.

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.

A method for recovering lithium according to this invention comprises separating sodium from a lithium-containing solution containing lithium ions and sodium ions to recover lithium, wherein the method comprises a solvent extraction step including: at least three-stage extraction process having a first extraction process, a second extraction process, and a third extraction process; and a lithium back extraction stage of back extracting the lithium ions from a solvent that have undergone the at least three-stage extraction process; and wherein, in the extraction process, the solvent undergoes the first extraction process, the second extraction process, and the third extraction process in this order, and a solution as the lithium-containing solution undergoes the respective processes in opposite order to the order of the solvent.

A method for separating nickel and cobalt from a solution includes the steps of: obtaining a solution containing nickel and cobalt by acid leaching of a cathode material of a waste lithium-ion battery, adjusting the pH of the solution containing nickel and cobalt to 3.5 to 4.5, adding extractants for extraction to separate the nickel and the cobalt. The cobalt enters the organic phase, the nickel remains in the aqueous phase, and the extractants contain an acidic extractant and an alkaline extractant. The method for efficiently separating nickel and cobalt through extraction adopts a non-saponification extraction method without using NaOH as a saponifier, thereby avoiding the discharge of saponification wastewater. Under acidic conditions, the cobalt in an acidic leaching solution is effectively extracted and separated into the organic phase through synergistic action of the acidic extractant and the alkaline extractant, thereby realizing the separation of nickel from cobalt.

Processes are provided for treating mineralized silicates by selective leaching of Ni and Co values carried out in concert with sequestration of gaseous CO.sub.2 as mineral carbonates. These processes may be applied to extract Ni and Co values from disparate laterite ores.

The present disclosure concerns a method of producing an activated negative electrode powder for use in nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries, the method comprising the steps: a) providing at least one previously cycled NiMH battery; b) isolating a negative electrode powder from the previously cycled NiMH battery; c) wet-milling or milling the negative electrode powder, thereby obtaining a mixture of the activated negative electrode powder and a byproduct rich in rare earth hydroxides; and d) separating the activated negative electrode powder from the byproduct. The disclosure further relates to an activated negative electrode powder produced by the said method, as well as battery electrodes and batteries comprising such a powder.

Certain method embodiments are described and useful for recycling permanent magnet materials (e.g. permanent magnet alloys) and battery materials (e.g. battery electrode materials) to extract critical and/or valuable elements including REEs, Co and Ni. Method embodiments involve reacting such material with at least one of an ammonium salt and an iron (III) salt to achieve at least one of a liquid phase chemical reaction and a mechanochemical reaction.

The present disclosure provides methods and systems for recovering metals from lithium-ion batteries, and specifically to methods and systems for recovering cobalt and nickel jointly in metallic form via electrowinning processes. The present disclosure further provides methods and systems for preparing lithium-ion battery materials for use in metal recovery processes.

A method for processing lithium ion battery scrap includes a leaching step of leaching lithium ion battery scrap and subjecting the resulting leached solution to solid-liquid separation to obtain a first separated solution; an iron removal step of adding an oxidizing agent to the first separated solution and adjusting a pH of the first separated solution in a range of from 3.0 to 4.0, then performing solid-liquid separation and removing iron in the first separated solution to obtain a second separated solution; and an aluminum removal step of neutralizing the second separated solution to a pH range of from 4.0 to 6.0, then performing solid-liquid separation and removing aluminum in the second separated solution to obtain a third separated solution.