The invention provides a targeted recycling method for waste battery, which comprises the following steps: the positive electrode strip of the waste battery is broken to obtain the broken product; In a carbon monoxide atmosphere, the broken product is pyrolyzed to obtain the pyrolysis product, and then the pyrolysis product is magnetically separated to obtain the magnetic separation product to achieve valuable metal recovery; The pyrolysis gas of the pyrolysis is passed into an alkaline solution to obtain a Li-rich solution and realize Li recovery. The method induces the directional transfer of solid oxygen in the waste cathode material through pyrolysis to form a coexistence environment of Co and Al.sub.2O.sub.3, effectively inhibits the high temperature alloying, and at the same time, the high temperature complex reaction of CO and the newborn Co particle is used to induce the targeted aggregation of cobalt nanoparticles against the concentration gradient of CO to form millimeter-sized particles, so as to realize magnetic separation and recovery. At the same time, the method of the invention can realize industrial application.

A method for recovering materials from waste or scraps through an improved microwave carbothermal process involves combining reagents of a carbothermal reaction to form a mixture to be subjected to heat treatment, the reagents including a component in which an element to be recovered is contained and a carbon-containing component, the component being contained within a waste material, placing the mixture in a crucible, placing the crucible in a refractory chamber having a side wall, a surface of the side wall being covered by a layer of microwave-sensitive material, and inserting the refractory chamber into a microwave oven. The carbothermal reaction is obtained in less time and with lower electricity consumption compared to typical carbothermal reactions.

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 present invention provides a method for recycling lithium batteries, including the following steps: Step 1, pretreating the lithium batteries, so as to obtain a mixture, the mixture includes positive electrodes of batteries, negative electrodes of batteries, and electrolyte; Step 2, performing oxygen-free pyrolysis on the mixture, at a pyrolysis temperature of 400-600 C.; Step 3, using a gas-solid filtration device to separate gas products from the pyrolysis, wherein anti-corrosion material(s) is (are) used to form filter element of the gas-solid filtration device; Step 4, taking out solid products from the pyrolysis, so as to recycle metal elements; the metal elements include but are not limited to one or more selected from the following: lithium, aluminum, copper, iron, nickel, cobalt, manganese.

Embodiments of a process are provided. In the process, a rare earth (RE) element is added to an aqueous feedstock including a first salt of the RE element and a second salt of a metal to form a mixture. The mixture is heated to a temperature of at least 50 C. to cause hydrolysis of the second salt to form a precipitate of a hydroxide comprising the metal and to cause an increase in a concentration of the first salt or formation of a third salt comprising the RE element. The precipitate is separated from the mixture, and the first salt or the third salt in the mixture is reacted with an oxalate to precipitate a RE oxalate. The RE oxalate is separated from the mixture, and the RE oxalate is calcined to form the RE element.

A method for recovering active metals of a lithium secondary battery may supply a cathode active material mixture to a fluidized bed reactor including a reactor body. A reaction gas may be introduced from a lower portion of the fluidized bed reactor to form a fluidized bed including a preliminary precursor mixture within the reactor body. The fluidized bed portion that has entered the upper portion of the fluidized bed reactor may be cooled to descend it into the reactor body, and then a lithium precursor may be recovered from the preliminary precursor mixture. Accordingly, a terminal velocity of the preliminary precursor is reduced, such that even if the particle size of the preliminary precursor is fine, loss due to scattering may be prevented.

The present disclosure concerns a 2-step smelting process, for recovering of Ni and Co from batteries and other sources. The process comprises the steps of: defining an oxidizing level Ox, and a battery-bearing metallurgical charge; oxidizing smelting of the metallurgical charge by injecting an O.sub.2-bearing gas into the melt to reach the defined oxidizing level Ox; and, reducing smelting of the obtained slag using a heat source and a reducing agent. The process is more energy-efficient than a single-step reducing smelting process and provides for a higher purity alloy and for a cleaner final slag.

The present invention relates to a method for separating the electrode materials from the current collector in a battery electrode, said method comprising: aproviding at least one electrode said electrode comprising a current collector and a layer of electrode material adhered onto said current collector, said layer of electrode material comprising electro active materials in powder form and a binder bcontacting said electrode to a gas or a supercritical fluid at a pressure of (60) to 300 bar, crapidly decreasing the pressure of said gas or supercritical fluid of at least (60) bar within (30) seconds or less thereby causing rapid decompression of said gas.

In one embodiment, a method for extracting rare earth elements from coal includes preparing a coal-based intermediate product from a coal feedstock sourced from available natural occurring material associated with coal mining, wherein the a coal-based intermediate product has not been generated through the process of combustion: contacting the coal-based intermediate product with a weak acid; and extracting at least some rare earth elements from the coal-based intermediate product via the weak acid to produce a rare earth extract. The coal-based intermediate may be produced via a combination of pyrolysis and solvent extraction.

The present disclosure relates to a lithium compound for recovering valuable metals and a method of recovering the same, and a method of recovering a lithium compound for recovering valuable metals includes: preparing a battery; freezing and forcibly discharging the battery; shredding the battery into a battery shredded material; and heating the battery shredded material, wherein the heating of the battery is performed in a temperature range of 1,100 to 1,400 C., a degree of vacuum (Log P [atm]) in the heating of the battery is in a range of 4 to 0, a lithium compound recovered through the heating of the battery contains impurities, and the impurities include, by wt %, 1.8 wt % or less (excluding 0 wt %) of Na, 0.06 wt % or less (excluding 0 wt %) of K, 0.62 wt % or less (excluding 0 wt %) of Ca, and 0.47 wt % or less (excluding 0 wt %) of Mg.