A process for a producing crude solder product and a copper product includes the steps of providing a black copper comprising >=50% wt of copper together with >=1.0% wt of tin and/or >=1.0% wt of lead, and refining a first portion of the black copper to obtain a refined copper product together with at least one copper refining slag. The process further includes the steps of recovering a first crude solder product from the copper refining slag, thereby forming a solder refining slag in equilibrium with the first crude solder product, and contacting a different portion of the black copper with the solder refining slag thereby forming a spent slag and a lead-tin based metal, followed by separating the spent slag from the lead-tin based metal.

A control scheme for a furnace can use real-time and historical data to model performance and determine relationships between different data and performance parameters for use in correcting suboptimal performance of the furnace in real-time. Operational parameters can be logged throughout the cycle for all cycles for a period of time in order to establish a baseline. This data can then be used to calculate the performance of the process. A regression analysis can be carried out in order to determine which parameters affect different aspects of performance. These relationships can then be used to predict performance during a single cycle in real-time and provide closed or open loop feedback to control furnace operation to result in enhanced performance.

The invention relates to a method of recovering rare-earth in cerium-based rare-earth polishing powder waste by two-step acid leaching gradient separation, characterized by: firstly, using a one-step acid leaching treatment on cerium-based rare-earth polishing powder waste to obtain a rare-earth leaching liquor which is rich in La; secondly, the leaching residue is then processed through alkali activation and transformation process, water washing and impurity removal process, secondary acid leaching process, filtration, and recovery to obtain high purity CeO.sub.2 products; thirdly, the acid leaching liquor obtained through first acid leaching and second acid leaching process is finally precipitated by oxalic acid, filtered and calcined at high temperature to obtain rare-earth oxide mixed products, which achieves the gradient separation and recovery of rare-earths from cerium-based rare-earth polishing powder waste. The total recovery efficiency of rare-earth of this invention reaches 97% or higher, with high efficiency of rare-earth recovery, wide process applicability, and low environmental pollution.

Provided is a method which allows for strict control of an oxygen partial pressure required for the heating and melting of a raw material, and thereby more efficient recovery of a valuable metal. The method for recovering a valuable metal (Cu, Ni, and Co) includes the steps of: preparing a charge comprising at least phosphorus (P) and a valuable metal as a raw material; heating and melting the raw material to form a molten body and then converting the molten body into a molten product comprising an alloy and a slag; and separating the slag from the molten product to recover the alloy comprising the valuable metal, wherein the heating and melting of the raw material comprises directly measuring an oxygen partial pressure in the molten body using an oxygen analyzer, and regulating the oxygen partial pressure based on the obtained measurement result.

A system for and a method of processing a waste lithium-ion battery make it possible to improve heat treatment efficiency and to heat-treat a large-sized waste lithium-ion battery without disassembling the battery. One example of the system for processing a waste lithium-ion battery includes a heater that heat-treats a waste lithium-ion battery at a heating temperature of lower than 400° C. to decompose and remove an electrolyte solution from the waste lithium-ion battery.

The present invention lies in the field of pyrometallurgy and discloses a process and a slag suitable for the recovery of Ni and Co from Li-ion batteries or their waste. The slag composition is defined according to:

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This composition is particularly adapted to limit or avoid the corrosion of furnaces lined with magnesia-bearing refractory bricks.

Provided is a method that allows for efficient removal of an impurity metal, and further, the recovery of a valuable metal with high efficiency. The method for recovering a valuable metal (Cu, Ni, and Co) includes the steps of: preparing a charge comprising at least a valuable metal as a raw material; heating and melting the raw material to form an alloy and a slag; and separating the slag to recover the alloy containing the valuable metal, wherein the heating and melting of the raw material comprises charging the raw material into a furnace of an electric furnace equipped with an electrode therein, and further melting the raw material by means of Joule heat generated by applying an electric current to the electrode, or heat generation of an arc itself, and thereby separating the raw material into a molten alloy and a molten slag present over the alloy.

A green resource-based method of thermal mass synergy in waste Integrated circuit board mainly includes carbonization cracking system, crushing and separation system, gasification cracking system and heat value utilization and comprehensive recovery system. Compared with existing techniques, carbonization cracking system can realize the dry distillation cracking of organic matter in waste integrated circuit board which converts carbon, hydrogen and other elements into fuel carbonized cracking gas and cracking oil, the heat from the combustion of the carbonization cracking gas of the invention provides the energy needed for the carbonization cracking to realize self-heating carbonization cracking. Carbonization cracking products are cracked and separated to solve the problems such as hard to break and organic coating metal caused by direct crushing and separation of traditional circuit boards which Improves crushing and separation effect; gasification cracking system achieves the comprehensive utilization of carbon, the gasified cracking gas can be used as a heat source for subsequent valuable metal recovery to further improve the utilization rate of calorific value. The invention has the characteristics of: high heat value utilization rate, low energy consumption, high metal recovery rate, short process recovery of valuable metal and no pollution of flue gas.

In a method for recovering an active metal of a lithium secondary battery, a sulfuric acid solution is added to a lithium metal composite oxide so as to prepare a sulfated active material solution. A transition metal is extracted from the sulfated active material solution. A lithium precursor is recovered by adding a lithium extracting agent to the solution remaining after the transition metal has been extracted from the sulfated active material solution. In the method, the amount of impurities is reduced, and sulfuric acid and the neutralizing agent can be recycled so that a high-yield lithium precursor recovery is enabled.

A control scheme for a furnace can use real-time and historical data to model performance and determine relationships between different data and performance parameters for use in correcting suboptimal performance of the furnace in real-time. Operational parameters can be logged throughout the cycle for all cycles for a period of time in order to establish a baseline. This data can then be used to calculate the performance of the process. A regression analysis can be carried out in order to determine which parameters affect different aspects of performance. These relationships can then be used to predict performance during a single cycle in real-time and provide closed or open loop feedback to control furnace operation to result in enhanced performance.