A green chemistry hydrometallurgical process for recovering one or more metals from a metal-containing material includes leaching the metal-containing material with formic acid, obtaining a leachate comprising the one or more metals as one or more metal formates, and precipitating at least one of the one or more metal formates. The metal-containing material may be a lithium-ion battery cathode material, resulting in Li formate remaining in solution and precipitation of salts including one or more of Ni, Co, and Mn formates. Steps may include filtration of the leachate, sulphurization of retained metal formate salts to produce metal sulphate salts, purification of filtered leachate by adding lithium carbonate and filtering, dewatering of the purified leachate, and thermal decomposition of resulting lithium salts to produce battery grade lithium carbonate. Carbon dioxide, water, and formic acid may be recovered and reused, without liquid or solid waste produced.

Disclosed herein are methods of using reactor outputs to purify materials. For example, methods of using acid and/or base produced in a reactor to purify materials (e.g., limestone, dolomite, waste streams, and/or ash) are described herein. Related systems are also described.

Disclosed herein are methods of using reactor outputs to purify materials. For example, methods of using acid and/or base produced in a reactor to purify materials (e.g., limestone, dolomite, waste streams, and/or ash) are described herein. Related systems are also described.

A method, and systems in which such method may be practiced, allow for the separation of elemental metals from metal alloy. A metal alloy is atomized to form metal alloy particulates. The metal alloy particulates are exposed to an oxidizing agent, such as chlorine gas in the presence of a salt, such as NaCl, an acid, such as HCl, and water. The resulting solution may be filtered to remove particulates, reduced, filtered, reduced, filtered, and so on. In aspects, the method is used to refine gold alloy by oxidation of elemental sponge gold to gold chloride followed by reduction to pure elemental gold.

A method, and systems in which such method may be practiced, allow for the separation of elemental metals from metal alloy. A metal alloy is atomized to form metal alloy particulates. The metal alloy particulates are exposed to an oxidizing agent, such as chlorine gas in the presence of a salt, such as NaCl, an acid, such as HCl, and water. The resulting solution may be filtered to remove particulates, reduced, filtered, reduced, filtered, and so on. In aspects, the method is used to refine gold alloy by oxidation of elemental sponge gold to gold chloride followed by reduction to pure elemental gold.

Methods for recovering gold from a refractory gold ore and concentrate are described. The method can include leaching the refractory gold ore and concentrate with the alkaline reagent under ambient or near-ambient conditions and a subsequent gold complexation. The method can optionally include separating a gold-containing leachate from a gold-unlocked solid residue obtained during the leaching step and performing a subsequent complexation on the gold-unlocked solid residue and optionally gold complexation on the gold-containing leachate. These methods can increase the gold recovery compared to conventional methods.

Methods for recovering gold from a refractory gold ore and concentrate are described. The method can include leaching the refractory gold ore and concentrate with the alkaline reagent under ambient or near-ambient conditions and a subsequent gold complexation. The method can optionally include separating a gold-containing leachate from a gold-unlocked solid residue obtained during the leaching step and performing a subsequent complexation on the gold-unlocked solid residue and optionally gold complexation on the gold-containing leachate. These methods can increase the gold recovery compared to conventional methods.

Apparatuses and methods for extracting desired chemical species and/or impurities from input material. An aspect of the present disclosure comprises a continuous flow system using solvents and other reactants to assist in conversion and extraction of the desired output material and/or removal of specific impurities from the input material through pressure, temperature, and volume control within the extraction system.

The invention relates to a method for recovering lithium from lithium-sulfur accumulators, wherein the accumulators are discharged, shredded, and pre-cleaned by sieves or screens to separate housing and electricity collector parts, the remaining material is dispersed in an aqueous medium, the insoluble components are removed by filtration and the electrolyte by phase separation, followed by a method for separating the lithium from the remaining filtrate.

The invention relates to a method for recovering lithium from lithium-sulfur accumulators, wherein the accumulators are discharged, shredded, and pre-cleaned by sieves or screens to separate housing and electricity collector parts, the remaining material is dispersed in an aqueous medium, the insoluble components are removed by filtration and the electrolyte by phase separation, followed by a method for separating the lithium from the remaining filtrate.