Provided is a method for treating an alloy by which nickel and/or cobalt can be selectively isolated from an alloy that contains copper as well as nickel and/or cobalt, in a waste lithium ion battery. The present invention is a method for treating an alloy, by which a solution that contains nickel and/or cobalt is obtained from an alloy that contains copper as well as nickel and/or cobalt, the method including: a leaching step in which a leachate is obtained by subjecting an alloy to an acid-based leaching treatment under conditions in which a sulfurizing agent is also present; a reduction step in which a reduced solution is obtained by subjecting the leachate to a reduction treatment using a reducing agent; and an oxidation/neutralization step in which a solution that contains nickel and/or cobalt is obtained by adding an oxidizing agent and also a neutralizing agent to the reduced solution.

Provided is a method for treating an alloy by which nickel and/or cobalt can be selectively isolated from an alloy that contains copper as well as nickel and/or cobalt, in a waste lithium ion battery. The present invention is a method for treating an alloy, by which a solution that contains nickel and/or cobalt is obtained from an alloy that contains copper as well as nickel and/or cobalt, the method including: a leaching step in which a leachate is obtained by subjecting an alloy to an acid-based leaching treatment under conditions in which a sulfurizing agent is also present; a reduction step in which a reduced solution is obtained by subjecting the leachate to a reduction treatment using a reducing agent; and an oxidation/neutralization step in which a solution that contains nickel and/or cobalt is obtained by adding an oxidizing agent and also a neutralizing agent to the reduced solution.

Provided is a method for producing lithium hydroxide, which can obtain lithium hydroxide from lithium sulfate with a relatively low cost. A method for producing lithium hydroxide from lithium sulfate includes: a hydroxylation step of allowing the lithium sulfate to react with barium hydroxide in a liquid to provide a lithium hydroxide solution; a barium removal step of removing barium ions in the lithium hydroxide solution using a cation exchange resin and/or a chelate resin; and a crystallization step of precipitating lithium hydroxide in the lithium hydroxide solution that has undergone the barium removal step.

A precious metal leaching method includes providing a slurried feed, comprising (i) in the solid phase, a refractory sulfide-containing material, the material comprising at least about 0.05 oz/tonne of a precious metal, at least about 0.75 wt. % sulfides, optionally at least about 0.1 wt. % feldspar (i.e., muscovite), and at least 0.3 wt. % preg-robbing carbonaceous material; and oxidizing the sulfide-containing material at more than about 240° C. and super-atmospheric pressure to oxidize at least most of the carbonaceous material and optionally convert at least most of the sulfide sulfur to sulfate sulfur and form an oxidized precious metal-containing material, wherein at least one of the following is performed during oxidizing: maintaining a pH of at least about pH 1.5; maintaining at least about 98.5% of the feldspar (i.e., muscovite) in the solid phase; maintaining a dissolved cupric ion concentration of at least about 0.25 g/L; and maintaining the slurried feed under subcritical or supercritical water operating conditions.

Processes are provided for the selective recovery of lithium from brines using aqueous redox reactions, involving lithium extraction into a particulate ferric phosphate solid in the form of an iron (III) heterosite, in the presence of a reducing agent capable of reducing ionic lithium, at a controlled lithium extraction pH. Lithium elution involves exposing the loaded lithium ferrous phosphate solids, in the form of lithium iron (II) triphylite, to an oxidizing agent capable of mediating the oxidation of the sequestered atomic lithium. This is carried out at a controlled acidic lithium elution pH. Conditions in the lithium extraction and elution steps are provided so that a concentrated liquid lithium eluate is provided to subsequent steps of impurity removal and lithium carbonate precipitation.

Processes are provided for the selective recovery of lithium from brines using aqueous redox reactions, involving lithium extraction into a particulate ferric phosphate solid in the form of an iron (III) heterosite, in the presence of a reducing agent capable of reducing ionic lithium, at a controlled lithium extraction pH. Lithium elution involves exposing the loaded lithium ferrous phosphate solids, in the form of lithium iron (II) triphylite, to an oxidizing agent capable of mediating the oxidation of the sequestered atomic lithium. This is carried out at a controlled acidic lithium elution pH. Conditions in the lithium extraction and elution steps are provided so that a concentrated liquid lithium eluate is provided to subsequent steps of impurity removal and lithium carbonate precipitation.

The present invention relates to the recovery of metals from raw ores or concentrates, and more specifically, to the recovery of rare earth elements, or oxides or salts thereof, from ores containing bastnaesite carbonatite, and/or monazite. The ore is processed by a method that may include one or more of the following steps: (i) mechanically processing the ore; (ii) calcination and/or roasting of the ore to form a calcinated material and/or roasting of the ore to form a roasted material; (iii) leaching of the calcinated material or roasted material in an aqueous solution; (iv) solid/liquid separation to remove a solid residue from the aqueous solution to recover a rare earth element solution; and (v) precipitation of the rare earth element solution to isolate a rare earth element, or oxide or salt thereof.

The present invention relates to the recovery of metals from raw ores or concentrates, and more specifically, to the recovery of rare earth elements, or oxides or salts thereof, from ores containing bastnaesite carbonatite, and/or monazite. The ore is processed by a method that may include one or more of the following steps: (i) mechanically processing the ore; (ii) calcination and/or roasting of the ore to form a calcinated material and/or roasting of the ore to form a roasted material; (iii) leaching of the calcinated material or roasted material in an aqueous solution; (iv) solid/liquid separation to remove a solid residue from the aqueous solution to recover a rare earth element solution; and (v) precipitation of the rare earth element solution to isolate a rare earth element, or oxide or salt thereof.

The present invention relates to the desulfurisation of lead-containing waste. In particular, the present invention relates to a method in which lead-containing waste is desulfurised to form a desulfurised lead-containing waste material which is suitable for recycling into lead or leady oxide. The method is particularly suitable for desulfurising lead-acid battery paste.

Provided herein are processes for recovering lithium ions from a brine source. The process can comprises increasing the pH of a brine source comprising lithium ions to at least about 5.5; contacting the pH-elevated brine source with a bed of protonated ion exchange media to produce a lithiated ion exchange media and a lithium-depleted brine stream; contacting the lithiated ion exchange media with an acidic aqueous wash liquid; and contacting the washed lithiated ion exchange media with an elution liquid comprising an acid. Also provided herein is a process for increasing the pH of brine comprising obtaining brine from a brine source comprising lithium ions; adding the brine to a continuously stirred tank reactor without preprocessing the brine to remove solid matter; adding a strong base to the continuously stirred tank reactor; contacting the brine with the base. Further provided herein are processes for creating a lithiated ion exchange media, which can comprise contacting a pH-elevated brine source with a bed of protonated ion exchange media; and producing a lithiated ion exchange media and a spent brine, wherein the bed of protonated ion exchange media comprises a metal oxide absorbent and a polymeric binder.