Provided is a method for recovering valuable metals contained in waste batteries, wherein valuable metals can be efficiently recovered while suppressing a reduction in recovery rate. The method according to the present invention for recovering valuable metals from waste batteries comprises: a roasting step S1 for roasting a waste battery; a crushing step S2 for inserting an obtained roasted material into a crushing container, and crushing the roasted material using a chain mill; and a sieving step S3 for sieving an obtained crushed material and separating the crushed material into sieve upper material and sieve lower material. A chain mill equipment that is used in the crushing process is provided with: a rotating axial rod vertically erected with respect to a bottom surface of a crushing container; and a chain attached to a side surface of the rotating axial rod.

Provided is a method for recovering valuable metals contained in waste batteries, wherein valuable metals can be efficiently recovered while suppressing a reduction in recovery rate. The method according to the present invention for recovering valuable metals from waste batteries comprises: a roasting step S1 for roasting a waste battery; a crushing step S2 for inserting an obtained roasted material into a crushing container, and crushing the roasted material using a chain mill; and a sieving step S3 for sieving an obtained crushed material and separating the crushed material into sieve upper material and sieve lower material. A chain mill equipment that is used in the crushing process is provided with: a rotating axial rod vertically erected with respect to a bottom surface of a crushing container; and a chain attached to a side surface of the rotating axial rod.

The purpose is to provide a method for recovering a valuable metal at low cost. The present invention is a method for recovering a valuable metal, the method comprising a step of preparing a burden material containing at least a valuable metal to obtain a raw material, a step of subjecting the raw material to an oxidation treatment and a reductive melting treatment to produce a reduced product containing an alloy and a slag, and a step of separating the slag from the reduced product to collect the alloy, in which the copper grade, which is a ratio of the mass of copper (Cu) to the total mass of nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co) and copper (Cu) contained in the alloy (i.e., a Cu/(Ni+Co+Cu) ratio), is adjusted to 0.250 or more.

The purpose is to provide a method for recovering a valuable metal at low cost. The present invention is a method for recovering a valuable metal, the method comprising a step of preparing a burden material containing at least a valuable metal to obtain a raw material, a step of subjecting the raw material to an oxidation treatment and a reductive melting treatment to produce a reduced product containing an alloy and a slag, and a step of separating the slag from the reduced product to collect the alloy, in which the copper grade, which is a ratio of the mass of copper (Cu) to the total mass of nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co) and copper (Cu) contained in the alloy (i.e., a Cu/(Ni+Co+Cu) ratio), is adjusted to 0.250 or more.

Provided is a smelting method capable of effectively promoting a reduction reaction on pellets formed using nickel oxide ore as starting material to obtain a ferronickel alloy with a high nickel grade of at least 4%. The present invention is a method for smelting nickel oxide ore wherein ferronickel alloy with a nickel grade of at least 4%, the method comprising a pellet-producing step S1 for producing pellets from nickel oxide ore, and a reducing step S2 for reduction-heating of the obtained pellets in a smelting furnace. In the pellet-producing step S1, the pellets are produced by mixing nickel oxide ore with a specified amount of a carbonaceous reducing agent as starting materials. In the reducing step S2, the produced pellets are charged in a smelting furnace in which a carbonaceous reducing agent (furnace bottom carbonaceous reducing agent) has been spread over the entire furnace bottom and reduction-heating is performed.

A smelting method capable of obtaining an iron-nickel alloy having a high nickel grade of 4% or higher by effectively facilitating a reduction reaction of pellets formed using a nickel oxide ore as a raw material. The present invention is a method for smelting a nickel oxide ore, by which an iron-nickel alloy is obtained by forming pellets from a nickel oxide ore and reducing and heating the pellets. In the pellet production step S1, a mixture is obtained by mixing raw materials that contain at least a nickel oxide ore and a carbonaceous reducing agent. In the reduction step S2, a furnace floor carbonaceous reducing agent is laid on the floor of the smelting furnace in advance when placing the obtained pellets in the smelting furnace and the pellets are placed on the furnace floor carbonaceous reducing agent and then reduced and heated.

A smelting method capable of obtaining an iron-nickel alloy having a high nickel grade of 4% or higher by effectively facilitating a reduction reaction of pellets formed using a nickel oxide ore as a raw material. The present invention is a method for smelting a nickel oxide ore, by which an iron-nickel alloy is obtained by forming pellets from a nickel oxide ore and reducing and heating the pellets. In the pellet production step S1, a mixture is obtained by mixing raw materials that contain at least a nickel oxide ore and a carbonaceous reducing agent. In the reduction step S2, a furnace floor carbonaceous reducing agent is laid on the floor of the smelting furnace in advance when placing the obtained pellets in the smelting furnace and the pellets are placed on the furnace floor carbonaceous reducing agent and then reduced and heated.

A method is provided for recycling lithium-ion batteries containing plastics, electrolyte, carbon, metals, and lithium. The method includes: Lithium-ion batteries are ground to form ground battery material which is then pyrolyzed at a temperature between about 100° C. and 700° C. for a time sufficient to vaporize about 80 wt % to 100 wt % of electrolytes present in the ground battery material. The resulting material is further ground and screen classified to produce a screen oversize and a screen undersize. The screen oversize comprises metals and plastics, while the screen undersize comprises a black mass material. Lithium dissolution, triboelectric charging and electrostatic separation of the black mass material (not necessarily in that order) produces a liquid comprising dissolved lithium, a graphite product, and a concentrated metal fines product. Lithium is precipitated from the liquid comprising dissolved lithium, and the concentrated metal fines can be further treated by hydrometallurgy or pyrometallurgy processes.

A method is provided for leaching the metals while granulating molten matte, comprising the steps of feeding a molten matte as a falling stream into a granulation chamber, spraying a liquid jet on the stream of molten matte to atomize the matte, and cooling the matte particles thus formed. The liquid jet comprises an acid solution containing water and sulfuric acid so that the acid solution starts leaching metals from the molten matte when the liquid jet contacts the molten matte. Part of product solution from granulation can be circulated to liquid jets to increase the metal content in the solution and to reduce its acid con-tent.

The invention concerns a process for the separation of cobalt from lithium present in a charge comprising lithium-ion batteries or related products, comprising the steps of: smelting the charge using a bath furnace equipped with a submerged air-fed plasma torch for injecting plasma gas into the melt; defining and maintaining a bath redox potential where cobalt is reduced to the metallic state and reporting to an alloy phase, and whereby lithium is oxidized as Li.sub.2O and reporting to the slag phase; decanting and separating the phases. It is characterized in that the reduction and oxidizing steps are performed simultaneously. A suitably low cobalt concentration is obtained in the slag.