Embodiments described herein relate to methods of recycling battery waste. In some aspects, a method can include applying a first heat treatment at a temperature of between about 100 C. and about 700 C. to the battery waste, the first heat treatment decomposing at least about 80 wt % of the binder, separating the electrode material from the current collector, and applying a second heat treatment at a temperature between about 400 C. and about 1,200 C. to the electrode material to produce a regenerated electrode material, the second heat treatment decomposing at least 90 wt % of binder remaining in the electrode material to produce a regenerated electrode material. In some embodiments, the method can include applying a surface treatment to the electrode material to remove surface coatings and/or surface impurities from the electrode material. In some embodiments, the surface treatment can include applying a solvent to the electrode material.

The invention relates to a method for separating valuable metal chlorides, particularly titanium tetrachloride and niobium pentachloride, from solid residues, in particular the filter dust generated during the chlorination of raw materials containing iron and titanium in the production of titanium dioxide using the chloride process.

A method includes preparing a raw material containing Li, Mn, Al, and valuable metals; a reductive melting step of subjecting the raw material to a reductive melting treatment to obtain an alloy containing valuable metals and a slag; and a slag separation step to recover the alloy, wherein in any one or both of the preparation step and the reductive melting step, a flux containing calcium (Ca) is added, a molar ratio (Li/Al ratio) of Li to Al in the slag obtained by the reductive melting treatment is 0.25 or more, a molar ratio (Ca/Al ratio) of Ca to Al in the slag is 0.30 or more, and a Mn amount in the slag is 5.0 mass % or more, and in the reductive melting treatment, an oxygen partial pressure in a melt obtained by melting the raw material is controlled to 10.sup.?14 or more and 10.sup.?11 or less.

The present invention concerns the recovery of cobalt from cobalt-bearing materials, in particular from cobalt-bearing lithium-ion secondary batteries, from the spent batteries, or from their scrap. A process is divulged for the recovery of cobalt from cobalt-bearing materials, comprising the steps of: providing a converter furnace, charging slag formers and one or more of copper matte, copper-nickel matte, and impure alloy into the furnace, and injecting an oxidizing gas so as to smelt the charge in oxidizing conditions, thereby obtaining a molten bath comprising a crude metal phase, and a cobalt-bearing slag, and separating the crude metal from the cobalt-bearing slag, characterized in that the cobalt-bearing materials are charged into the furnace. This process is particularly suitable for recycling cobalt-bearing lithium-ion secondary batteries. Cobalt is concentrated in a limited amount of converter slag, from which it can economically be retrieved, together with other elements such as copper and/or nickel.

A method for recovering waste lithium battery materials, comprising: (1) performing cell-disassembling on a waste lithium battery to obtain battery powder, ammonia leaching the battery powder to obtain a mixture, and subjecting the mixture to solid-liquid separation to obtain a leached solution and a filter residue; (2) adding a fluorine-phosphorus precipitating agent to the leached solution to obtain a mixture, and subjecting the mixture to solid-liquid separation to obtain a filtrate; (3) subjecting the filtrate to ammonia distillation, subjecting a mixture obtained to solid-liquid separation to obtain a filtrate and a filter residue containing basic copper carbonate and lithium carbonate; (4) washing the filter residue with water, and separating the basic copper carbonate to obtain a washing water; (5) reducing and calcining the filter residue, washing the residue, adding the washing water to the residue to collect lithium by water leaching, and filtering a mixture to obtain a filtrate.

A method for recycling a cathode material and a solid electrolyte from a solid-state lithium battery is provided. The method has the following steps: a) separating the solid-state lithium battery into a solid mixture, said mixture comprising lithium anode, cathode material, and solid electrolyte components, b) mixing the solid mixture with an aprotic solvent, forming a solution of the solid electrolyte in the aprotic solvent and insoluble constituents comprising lithium anode and cathode material, c) separating the solution of the solid electrolyte from the insoluble constituents, d) bringing the insoluble constituents into contact with a protic solvent, forming a solution of lithium salt of the general formula LiX in the protic solvent and undissolved cathode material, e) separating the solution of lithium salt LiX from the undissolved cathode material, and f) calcinating the separated cathode material while adding a lithium compound.

Various embodiments relate to several processes that may recover commodity chemicals from an alkaline metal-air battery. In various embodiments, while the cell is operating, various side products and waste streams may be collected and processed to regain use or additional value. Various embodiments also include processes to be performed after the cell has been disassembled, and each of its electrodes have been separated such as not to be an electrical hazard. The alkaline metal battery recycling processes described herein may provide multiple forms of commodity iron, high purity transition metal ores, fluoropolymer dispersions, various carbons, commodity chemicals, and catalyst dispersions.

Disclosed are a method for selectively extracting lithium from a retired battery and an application of the method. According to the method, on the basis of an ion exchange effect between a divalent manganese ion and a lithium ion, a positive electrode material and a divalent manganese salt are mixed according to a certain proportion and prepared into a slurry, and the divalent manganese salt and the positive electrode material are fully mixed by means of a ball milling process, such that a lattice structure of the positive electrode material is effectively damaged, thereby reducing activation energy of exchange of the divalent manganese ion and the lithium ion and greatly reducing reaction energy required by a subsequence lithium extraction process. A mixed material after ball milling is roasted at a lower temperature such that the bivalent manganese in the manganese salt occupies a lithium position in a layered structure, and manganese-lithium replacement is directly performed to obtain a pure lithium-containing leaching solution. The present method greatly improves the leaching rate and selectivity of lithium. The present invention uses a mode of first performing ball-mill mixing and then performing roasting, and thus has low power consumption, high safety, good leaching rate and selectivity of lithium, and wide application prospects.

The present invention provides a method for treating at least one lithium ion battery enclosed in a housing containing aluminum, comprising heating the lithium ion battery using a combustion furnace in which a combustion object is incinerated by flames, while preventing the flames from being directly applied to the housing of the lithium ion battery.

In a process for melting metal chips, the process being of the type that uses a charge system for delivering the metal chips to a melt furnace, and of the type that uses a pre-treatment system for drying the metal chips, the improvement comprising the step of capturing an exhaust stream from the charge system, where the exhaust stream includes hydrocarbons, and combusting the hydrocarbons to produce heat that is utilized in drying the chips.