Novel methods of recovering neodymium and related rare earth elements from permanent magnets of various compositions are described. The methods employ processing steps including converting the magnet material to a higher surface area form such as a powder, treating the mixture with alkaline solutions to form product concentrated in neodymium and rare earth metals. Inexpensive materials such as ammonia, ammonium carbonate, carbon dioxide, water are recycled in a process that uses moderate temperatures, pressures and non-corrosive and environmentally-friendly chemicals.

A recycling process that facilitates separation of materials from metallic substrates by cryogenically cooling the recyclable items to induce embrittlement of the metals. Embrittled metals may be shattered more efficiently and with a higher yield of materials bound to the metallic substrates. Metal embrittlement may be induced by mixing the source stream with liquid nitrogen, and cooling the stream to approximately minus 200° F. Multiple recovery stages may be employed to maximize the yield of the target materials. Embodiments may enable recovery of platinum group metals (PGMs) from catalytic converters with metallic foil substrates. Yield of PGMs may be enhanced by employing a primary recovery stage and a secondary recovery stage, by cryogenically cooling input materials for each stage, by mixing the pulverized material in secondary recovery with an aqueous solution to dissipate attractive charges, and by wet screening the pulverized material slurry to obtain the PGM particles.

A method of charging a pre-packaged charge in a metallurgical or refining furnace includes providing a disposable metal container having at least one attachment member and forming a pre-packaged charge by loading scrap material into the metal container. The method also includes releasably coupling the at least one attachment member of the container to a lifting device, and then de-coupling the pre-packaged charge from the lifting device so that the combination of the scrap material and the disposable metal container are charged in the furnace.

A valuable material recovery method includes a discharge step of discharging a lithium-ion battery; a thermal decomposition step of reducing a lithium compound, which is a cathode active material, into a magnetic oxide by thermally treating the lithium-ion battery after being discharged; a crushing step of crushing the lithium-ion battery, after being thermally decomposed, into fragments of a size suitable for wind sorting, allowing part of the magnetic oxide to remain in the aluminum foil; a sieving step of sieving a crushed material to separate the crushed material into an oversized product and an undersized product; a wind sorting step of separating the oversized product into a heavy product and a light product; and a magnetic sorting step of sorting and recovering the aluminum foil with a residue of the magnetic oxide, as a magnetized material, and recovering the copper foil as a non-magnetized material from the light product.

The present application provides a process to recover materials from rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, thus recycling them. The process involves processing the batteries into a size-reduced feed stream; and then, via a series of separation, isolation, and/or leaching steps, allows for recovery of a copper product, cobalt, nickel, and/or manganese product, and a lithium product; and, optional recovery of a ferrous product, aluminum product, graphite product, etc. An apparatus and system for carrying out size reduction of batteries under immersion conditions is also provided.

The invention relates to a process 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, resulting in formation of a lithium sulfide containing solution from which insoluble components are removed by filtration, and the electrolyte is removed by phase separation, followed by a process for separation of the lithium from the lithium sulfide-containing solution.

An emissions collection system that includes a containment system, the containment system including a plurality of walls and a roof structure that together form an internal chamber; wherein chamber inlets are formed in one wall of the plurality of walls; and wherein chamber outlets are formed in either another wall of the plurality of walls or the roof structure. A filter assembly includes a filter that collects emissions generated within the internal chamber; and a duct system that places the chamber outlets in fluid communication with the filter assembly; wherein the filter assembly is sized and configured to move air through the chamber inlets, the internal chamber, the chamber outlets, the duct system, and the filter to collect emissions generated within the internal chamber.

The invention provides for the orchestrated treatment of disparate fractions of a shale deposit to recover vanadium values, with distinct steps of beneficiation that together provide a combined vanadium-enriched concentrate amenable to subsequent combined steps of hydrometallurgical vanadium extraction.

The invention relates to a method for treating used lithium batteries (10) containing the steps: comminuting the batteries (10) such that comminuted material (24) is obtained, and (b) inactivating of the comminuted material (24) such that an inactive comminuted material (42) is obtained. According to the invention, the drying is conducted at a maximum pressure of 300 hPa and a maximum temperature of 80° C. and the deactivated comminuted material (42) is not filled into a transport container and/or said deactivated comminuted material is immediately further processed after the drying process.

A method is described for the treatment of used batteries, in particular lithium batteries, containing the steps: comminuting the batteries such that comminuted material is obtained, inactivating the comminuted material such that inactivated comminuted material is obtained, and filling a transport container with the inactivated comminuted material. The inactivation is performed by drying the comminuted material, and the comminuted material is dried until an electrolyte content is so low that an electrochemical reaction is not possible.