A production method includes: an alkali extraction step of adding an alkali and water, or an alkali solution, to raw material ash containing an ammonium sulfate component, sulfuric acid, vanadium, and at least one other metal selected from nickel, iron, and magnesium, wherein a pH of 13 or higher is achieved, to obtain an alkali leachate; a solid-liquid separation step on the alkali leachate to obtain a leach filtrate containing vanadium; an evaporation concentration step of evaporating and concentrating the leach filtrate to obtain a concentrated liquid; and a crystallization/solid-liquid separation step of cooling and crystalizing the concentrated liquid and recovering a precipitate containing a vanadium compound. Another production method includes an alkali extraction step, a solid-liquid separation step, an evaporation concentration step, an alkali concentration adjustment step of further adding an alkali or alkali solution to a concentrated liquid to obtain a concentration-adjusted liquid, and a crystallization/solid-liquid separation step.

A process for leaching a mineral particulate material comprising the steps of feeding the mineral particulate material to a leaching step (10) in which at least one valuable metal in the mineral particulate material is leached into a leach solution to form a pregnant leach liquor and a solid residue containing undissolved mineral matter, the leaching step being conducted under conditions such that elemental sulphur is formed in the leaching step, wherein beads or particles that take up elemental sulphur are added to the leaching step such that elemental sulphur is taken up by or collects on the beads or particles, and separating the beads or particles from the pregnant leach liquor and the solid residue. The beads or particles may be treated to remove sulphur and the beads or particles are returned to the leaching step. Alternatively the mineral doesn't need to comprise a soluble component and can be a refractory sulphide of iron and/or arsenic containing precious metals that require oxidation before downstream conventional processes such as cyanidation.

Compositions, systems, and methods for selectively leaching and/or extracting lithium from sedimentary deposits and other resources are generally described.

Compositions, systems, and methods for selectively leaching and/or extracting lithium from sedimentary deposits and other resources are generally described.

Methods for recovering a metal from a metal-containing material are provided. In embodiments, such a method comprises exposing a metal-containing material to a leaching solution comprising a solvent and a binoxalate, a tetraoxalate, or a combination thereof, under conditions to provide a leachate comprising a soluble metal oxalate; inducing precipitation of a metal-containing precipitate comprising the metal of the soluble metal oxalate from the leachate; and recovering the metal-containing precipitate.

Methods for recovering a metal from a metal-containing material are provided. In embodiments, such a method comprises exposing a metal-containing material to a leaching solution comprising a solvent and a binoxalate, a tetraoxalate, or a combination thereof, under conditions to provide a leachate comprising a soluble metal oxalate; inducing precipitation of a metal-containing precipitate comprising the metal of the soluble metal oxalate from the leachate; and recovering the metal-containing precipitate.

A process for the recovery of one or more transition metals and lithium from waste lithium ion batteries or parts thereof is disclosed. The process comprising the steps of (a) providing a particulate material containing a transition metal compound and/or transition metal, wherein the transition metal is selected from the group consisting of Ni and Co, and wherein further at least a fraction of said Ni and/or Co, if present, are in an oxidation state lower than +2, e.g. in the metallic state; which particulate material further contains a lithium salt; (b) treating the material provided in step (a) with a polar solvent and optionally an alkaline earth hydroxide; (c) separating the solids from the liquid, optionally followed by a solid-solid separation step; and (d) treating the solids containing the transition metal in a smelting furnace to obtain a metal melt containing Ni and/or Co provides good separation of transition metal as alloy and of lithium in high purity.

A method of recovering substantially rare earth elements (REEs) from magnets, including first dissolving a magnet to yield a solution containing Nd, Pr, and Dy, and then equilibrating a first column with Cu2+ solution to yield a first equilibrated column, introducing the solution to the first equilibrated column, and introducing a ligand solution to the first equilibrated column to establish three bands of different liquid compositions in the column, wherein the three bands comprise a Dy/Nd mixed band, a first pure Nd band, and a Nd/Pr mixed band. Next, sending the Dy/Nd mixed band to a second column containing a Cu2+ solution and introducing a ligand solution to the second column to establish a pure Dy band and a second pure Nd band in the second column, and sending the Nd/Pr mixed band to a third column containing a Cu2+ solution and introducing a ligand solution to the third column to establish a third pure Nd band and a pure Pr band in the third column. Finally, eluting the respective pure Nd bands to recover Nd, eluting the pure Dy band to recover Dy, and eluting the pure Pr band to recover Pr.

The invention relates to hydrometallurgical method for recovering lithium and one or more transition metals from spent lithium ion batteries, comprising: treating an electrode material of the batteries in an alkaline solution to dissolve lithium in said solution; separating from the alkaline solution a solid phase consisting of lithium-depleted electrode material; recovering lithium from said alkaline solution; leaching the lithium-depleted electrode material with an acid leach solution to dissolve one or more transition metals of the electrode material in the leach solution; separating insoluble material, if present, from the leach solution to obtain metal-bearing aqueous solution and isolating one or more transition metal(s) and optionally the remainder of the lithium from said metal-bearing aqueous solution.

Alkaline oxidation process for treating refractory sulfide ore or concentrate particles enriched in a metal to be recovered comprising stages in which refractory ore or concentrate particles are surface-oxidized in an alkaline oxidation step in alkaline liquid phase with calcium hydroxide forming an alkaline slurry, which slurry is thereafter mechanically activated to remove passivating coatings from the surface oxidized refractory ore particles.