Provided is a method for efficiently separating copper from nickel and cobalt from a sulfide containing nickel and cobalt together with copper. The present invention is a method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt, the method comprising pulverizing a sulfide containing copper and nickel and cobalt into a predetermined size and then stirring the resultant product under the condition having an oxidation-reduction potential (a reference electrode: a silver/silver chloride electrode) of less than 100 mV using an acid solution to perform a leaching treatment. In this separation method, a leach liquor in which nickel and cobalt are leached and a leach residue containing copper sulfate are produced as the result of the leaching treatment.

A process for selectively extracting cobalt from a composition comprising cobalt and one or more other metal elements, wherein the process comprises the following steps: a) a step of forming a precipitate consisting of a coordination complex comprising cobalt, by bringing the solution into contact with at least one aromatic compound comprising at least two nitrogen atoms in its ring; b) a step of recovering the precipitate.

Cathode material from exhausted lithium ion batteries are dissolved in a solution for extracting the useful elements Co (cobalt), Ni (nickel), Al (Aluminum) and Mn (manganese) to produce active cathode materials for new batteries. The solution includes compounds of desirable materials such as cobalt, nickel, aluminum and manganese dissolved as compounds from the exhausted cathode material of spent cells. Depending on a desired proportion, or ratio, of the desired materials, raw materials are added to the solution to achieve the desired ratio of the commingled compounds for the recycled cathode material for new cells. The desired materials precipitate out of solution without extensive heating or separation of the desired materials into individual compounds or elements. The resulting active cathode material has the predetermined ratio for use in new cells, and avoids high heat typically required to separate the useful elements because the desired materials remain commingled in solution.

The present invention relates to a method for recovering nickel and cobalt from a nickel, iron, and cobalt-containing raw material. According to the present invention, high concentrations of valuable metals, such as nickel and cobalt, can be recovered from a raw material containing nickel, iron, and cobalt, and especially, the concentrations of nickel and cobalt are low and the concentration of iron is high, and thus when nickel is leached, and relatively large amount of iron is leached, whereas a small amount of nickel is leached. Therefore, the present invention can be more suitably applied in the smelting of nickel ore in which the separation of iron and nickel is difficult.

Provided are: an alloy powder that can be obtained from a waste lithium ion battery, wherein the alloy powder can be dissolved in an acid solution and enables recovery of metals contained in the alloy powder; and a method for producing the alloy powder. This alloy powder contains Cu and at least one of Ni and Co as constituent components, wherein a portion having a higher concentration of the at least one of Ni and Co than the average concentration in the entire alloy powder is distributed on at least the surface, and the phosphorus grade is less than 0.1% by mass. The method for producing the alloy powder includes a powdering step for powdering a molten alloy using a gas atomization method, the molten alloy containing Cu and at least one of Ni and Co as constituent components and having a phosphorus grade of less than 0.1% by mass.

Provided are processes for extracting lithium and optionally nickel from a Nickel(II)/Lithium(I) (Ni.sup.2+/Li.sup.+) solution. The extraction is optionally performed in a series of steps with counterflow of aqueous and organic flows to thereby produce a lithium poor solution. The lithium poor solution may be treated so that remaining Ni in the lithium poor solution may be directly precipitated therefrom in the form of a Ni salt. Once complete, the process provides for recoverable nickel and/or lithium that may be recycled into batteries or sold for other uses.

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.

A process for treating spent lithium ion batteries to recover metals is disclosed. The process includes discharging the spent lithium ion batteries. The discharged lithium ion batteries are shredded and roasted in a furnace to produce roasted material. The roasted material is sieved to separate a coarser fraction and a finer fraction. The coarser fraction comprises aluminium chips and copper chips. The finer fraction is further treated to recover copper, cobalt, and nickel sequentially with a purity of 99.3-99.9%. The process also recovers manganese as manganese dioxide and lithium as lithium carbonate. The process does not generate any solid waste as all the metals and by-products such as carbon powder and gypsum cake are saleable.

Provided is a method for inhibiting extractant degradation in the DSX process through the manganese extraction control, the method comprising: (a) stirring DSX solvent and DSX feed solution, which is a solution containing a valuable metal from which iron has been removed in an agitator, in which soda ash (Na.sub.2CO.sub.3) is further added to maintain a constant pH; and (b) scrubbing the manganese from the DSX solvent, extracted in step (a).

Provided is a method for inhibiting extractant degradation comprising preparing step, extracting step and scrubbing step, the method including: (a) the preparing step of a DSX solvent by adjusting the extractant concentration of the DSX solvent to a specific range; (b) the extracting step of metal included in the feed solution by adjusting the ratio of the organic (solvent) and an aqueous (solution) as a feed solution; (c) the scrubbing step of adjusting the zinc concentration of the solution using zinc sulfate; and (d) stripping step.