A method for recovering metals from waste materials includes steps of contacting a waste material feed stream with a first lixiviant adapted to leach copper and other base metals from the waste material feed stream and provide a treated waste material feed stream, recovering copper metal from the first lixiviant, contacting the treated waste material stream with a second lixiviant adapted to leach noble metals from the treated waste material feed stream and recovering gold from the second lixiviant.

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.

There is provided a method for collecting and reusing an active material from positive electrode scrap. The method of reusing a positive electrode active material of the present disclosure includes (a) thermally treating a positive electrode scrap comprising an active material layer on a current collector in air for thermal decomposition of a binder and a conductive material in the active material layer, to separate the current collector from the active material layer, and collecting an active material in the active material layer, (b-1) washing the active material collected from the step (a) with a lithium compound solution which is basic in an aqueous solution, and drying, (b-2) grinding the active material dried from the step (b-1), (b-3) adding a lithium compound to the active material ground from the step (b-2), and (c) annealing the active material having the lithium precursor added thereto, to obtain a reusable active material.

There is provided a method for collecting and reusing an active material from positive electrode scrap. The positive electrode active material reuse method of the present disclosure includes (a) thermally treating positive electrode scrap comprising a lithium cobalt oxide positive electrode active material layer on a current collector in air for thermal decomposition of a binder and a conductive material in the active material layer, to separate the current collector from the active material layer, and collecting an active material in the active material layer, (b) washing the collected active material with a lithium compound solution which is basic in an aqueous solution and drying, and (c) annealing the washed active material with an addition of a lithium precursor to obtain a reusable active material.

A process for the recovery of gold from carbon fines waste, which are produced, especially from carbon-in-leach (CIL) and carbon-in-pulp (CIP) processes. The gold may be eluted from carbon fines with alkaline eluent having a low oxidation reduction potential (ORP). Value added products may be obtained from the extracted carbon fines.

The invention provides a method for delaminating a composite by immersing the composite into a delamination solution; wherein the composite comprises a metal substrate and a coating applied on one side or both sides of the metal substrate, wherein the coating comprises a polymeric binder; and wherein the polymeric binder comprises an aqueous copolymer. The use of delamination solution comprising a weak base allows for complete delamination of the composite in a highly efficient and extremely fast manner. Furthermore, the delamination method disclosed herein circumvents complex separation processes, contamination and corrosion of the metal substrate and enables an excellent materials recovery. An application of the method for delaminating an electrode for a battery is disclosed herein.

The invention relates to the field of efficient separation and recovery of bromine by full wet method, especially to a two-step separating method of bromide and recovery of lead and zinc from printed circuit board Incineration ash. It mainly includes first sodium hydroxide alkaline leaching, secondary sodium peroxide alkaline leaching, pH adjustment, separate lead and zinc, bromide evaporation and crystallization to recover crude bromide and other steps. Compared with traditional comprehensive recovery process of ash, the invention uses sodium hydroxide to dissolve bromide, lead and zinc, and uses the strong oxidation of sodium peroxide in alkaline environment, copper bromide and other bromine are oxidized and leached; through two-step method, the efficient leaching of bromine, lead and zinc is realized, silver and other precious metals are enriched at the same time. It is beneficial to subsequent recovery of precious metals and has the characteristics of short tail liquid discharge.

A system for recovering rare earth elements from coal ash includes a leaching reactor, an ash dryer downstream of the leaching reactor, and a roaster downstream of the ash dryer that is cooperatively connected to both the leaching reactor and the ash dryer. Coal ash is mixed with an acid stream such that rare earth elements present in the coal ash are dissolved in the acid stream, thereby creating (i) a leachate containing the rare earth elements and (ii) leached ash. The leachate is heated to obtain acid vapor and an acid-soluble rare earth concentrate. Mixing of the coal ash with the acid stream can occur in a leaching reactor and heating of the leachate can occur in a roaster. The acid-soluble rare earth concentrate can be fed to a hydrometallurgical process to separate and purify the rare earth elements.

Integrated recycling method and processes including recycling spent catalyst to produce one or more water-soluble metal salts and one or more water-insoluble tail byproducts, and recycling rechargeable batteries to produce one or more battery-grade metals and one or more pure metallic byproducts, wherein the water insoluble tail byproduct is a feedstock in recycling the rechargeable batteries, the impure metallic byproduct is a feedstock in recycling the spent catalyst, or both.

The invention provides a method for delaminating a composite by immersing the composite into a delamination solution; wherein the composite comprises a metal substrate and a coating applied on one side or both sides of the metal substrate, wherein the coating comprises a polymeric binder; and wherein the polymeric binder comprises an aqueous copolymer. The use of delamination solution comprising an alkali metal phosphate salt allows for complete delamination of the composite in a highly efficient and extremely fast manner. Furthermore, the delamination method disclosed herein circumvents complex separation processes, contamination and corrosion of the metal substrate and enables an excellent materials recovery. An application of the method for delaminating an electrode for a battery is disclosed herein.