Disclosed herein is a process for removing water from a particulate material selected from (oxy)hydroxides and carbonates containing at least one of nickel cobalt, and at least one metal other than nickel. The process includes the step of introducing at least one particulate material with a water content in the range of from 1 to 30% by weight, referring to said particulate material, into a rotary kiln with external heating elements and moving it through the rotary kiln together with a flow of a gas. The residual moisture of the resultant product is in the range of from 50 ppm to 1.5% by weight.

In a method for the precipitation of particles of a metal carbonate material comprising nickel and manganese in an atomic ratio of 0?Ni:Mn?1:3, aqueous solutions comprising sulfates or nitrates of nickel and manganese are mixed with aqueous solutions of carbonates or mixtures of carbonates and hydroxides of sodium or potassium in a stirred reactor at pH>7.5 without the use of a chelating agent. Thereby agglomerated particles are formed without any subsequent process steps, in particular no subsequent process at temperatures higher than the precipitation temperature.

In a method for the precipitation of particles of a metal carbonate material comprising nickel and manganese in an atomic ratio of 0?Ni:Mn?1:3, aqueous solutions comprising sulfates or nitrates of nickel and manganese are mixed with aqueous solutions of carbonates or mixtures of carbonates and hydroxides of sodium or potassium in a stirred reactor at pH>7.5 without the use of a chelating agent. Thereby agglomerated particles are formed without any subsequent process steps, in particular no subsequent process at temperatures higher than the precipitation temperature.

A method for manufacturing a slurry for a positive electrode of a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery using an aqueous solvent containing an alkali metal complex oxide, includes: while causing a raw material slurry containing a solid content and the solvent as slurry raw materials for a positive electrode of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery to flow along a path, performing a neutralization treatment on an alkali component in the raw material slurry by inorganic carbon supplied to the raw material slurry flowing along the path.

A method for manufacturing a slurry for a positive electrode of a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery using an aqueous solvent containing an alkali metal complex oxide, includes: while causing a raw material slurry containing a solid content and the solvent as slurry raw materials for a positive electrode of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery to flow along a path, performing a neutralization treatment on an alkali component in the raw material slurry by inorganic carbon supplied to the raw material slurry flowing along the path.

A carbonate precursor compound for manufacturing a lithium metal (M)-oxide powder usable as an active positive electrode material in lithium-ion batteries, M comprising 20 to 90 mol % Ni, 10 to 70 mol % Mn and 10 to 40 mol % Co, the precursor further comprising a sodium and sulfur impurity, wherein the sodium to sulfur molar ratio (Na/S) is 0.4<Na/S<2. The lithium metal (M)-oxide powder has a particle size distribution with 10 mD5020 m, a specific surface with 0.9BET5, the BET being expressed in g/cm2, the powder further comprises a sodium and sulfur impurity, wherein the sum (2*Nawt)+Swt of the sodium (Nawt) and sulfur (S wt) content expressed in wt % is more than 0.4 wt % and less than 1.6 wt %, and wherein the sodium to sulfur molar ratio (Na/S) is 0.4<Na/S<2.

A carbonate precursor compound for manufacturing a lithium metal (M)-oxide powder usable as an active positive electrode material in lithium-ion batteries, M comprising 20 to 90 mol % Ni, 10 to 70 mol % Mn and 10 to 40 mol % Co, the precursor further comprising a sodium and sulfur impurity, wherein the sodium to sulfur molar ratio (Na/S) is 0.4<Na/S<2. The lithium metal (M)-oxide powder has a particle size distribution with 10 mD5020 m, a specific surface with 0.9BET5, the BET being expressed in g/cm2, the powder further comprises a sodium and sulfur impurity, wherein the sum (2*Nawt)+Swt of the sodium (Nawt) and sulfur (S wt) content expressed in wt % is more than 0.4 wt % and less than 1.6 wt %, and wherein the sodium to sulfur molar ratio (Na/S) is 0.4<Na/S<2.

A method according to an embodiment is for recovering a valuable metal from a waste electrode material of a lithium secondary battery by using lithium carbonate. An anode-cathode mixed electrode material that has been separated by draining, crushing, screening, and sorting a waste lithium secondary battery is preprocessed. A precipitation operation performed by adding lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) to a metal melt acquired by performing sulfuric acid dissolution using sulfuric acid. A valuable metal such as nickel, cobalt, manganese, aluminum, and copper is recovered as a residue in the form of a carbonate composite, and a lithium sulfate (Li2SO4) aqueous solution including lithium is recovered as a filtrate.

A method according to an embodiment is for recovering a valuable metal from a waste electrode material of a lithium secondary battery by using lithium carbonate. An anode-cathode mixed electrode material that has been separated by draining, crushing, screening, and sorting a waste lithium secondary battery is preprocessed. A precipitation operation performed by adding lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) to a metal melt acquired by performing sulfuric acid dissolution using sulfuric acid. A valuable metal such as nickel, cobalt, manganese, aluminum, and copper is recovered as a residue in the form of a carbonate composite, and a lithium sulfate (Li2SO4) aqueous solution including lithium is recovered as a filtrate.

Liquid flow in a reaction processing vessel 10 is set to a spiral flow, a liquid A and B as an additional liquid containing an inorganic substance to be added is injected at a center-side position with respect to an inner surface of the reaction processing vessel 10 in a reaction field of the reaction processing vessel 10 so as to perform reaction processing.