A method for separating of at least two transition metals, the method comprising: injecting a feed solution into a chromatography column comprising a chromatographic support media, the feed solution comprising at least two transition metals; eluting the feed from the column in an elution cycle by flowing an eluent through the column, wherein a concentration of the eluent is reduced during the elution cycle prior to elution of at least one of the transition metals.

Disclosed is a method for anaerobically cracking a power battery, which includes the following steps: disassembling a waste power battery to obtain a battery cell; taking out a diaphragm from the battery cell for later use, and pyrolyzing the battery cell to obtain electrode powder; extracting nickel, cobalt and manganese elements from the electrode powder with an extraction buffer, filtering, taking the filtrate, then adjusting the filtrate with a nickel solution, a cobalt solution and a manganese solution to obtain a solution A, adding the solution A dropwise into ammonium hydroxide under stirring, and then adding an alkali solution under stirring to obtain a solution B; subjecting the solution B to a hydrothermal reaction, filtering, and roasting to obtain a catalyst, such that a chemical formula of the catalyst is Ni.sup.2+.sub.1-x-yCo.sup.2+.sub.xMn.sup.2+.sub.yO, where 0.25≤x<0.45, 0.25≤y<0.45.

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 novel process for treating pickling acid residue and recovering sulfates and nickel therefrom has been developed. By lowering the pH of a magnesium compound slurry to 4-5.5 with sulfuric acid containing pickling acid residue in the presence of ammonium sulfate, both magnesium sulfate and nickel sulfate are solubilized. Magnesium sulfate and nickel sulfate solution is separated from the solids by filtration and an iron hydroxide and chromium hydroxide residue is obtained as a precipitate. Magnesium sulfate and nickel sulfate are then separated from the solution.

The present invention addresses the problem of providing a method for producing nickel microparticles in which the ratio of crystallite's diameter to the particle diameter of the nickel microparticles is controlled. At least two types of fluids to be processed are used, including a nickel compound fluid in which a nickel compound is dissolved in a solvent, and a reducing agent fluid in which a reducing agent is dissolved in a solvent. Sulfate ions are included in the nickel compound fluid, and polyol is included in the nickel compound fluid and/or the reducing agent fluid. The fluid to be processed is mixed in a thin film fluid formed between at least two processing surfaces (1, 2), at least one of which rotates relative to the other, and which are disposed facing each other and capable of approaching and separating from each other, and nickel microparticles are precipitated. The present invention is characterized in that at this time, the ratio (d/D) of crystallite's diameter (d) to the particle diameter (D) of the nickel microparticle is controlled by controlling the pH of the nickel compound fluid introduced between the processing surfaces (1, 2) and the molar ratio of sulfate ions with respect to nickel in the nickel compound fluid.

Disclosed is a method for anaerobically cracking a power battery, which includes the following steps: disassembling a waste power battery to obtain a battery cell; taking out a diaphragm from the battery cell for later use, and pyrolyzing the battery cell to obtain electrode powder; extracting nickel, cobalt and manganese elements from the electrode powder with an extraction buffer, filtering, taking the filtrate, then adjusting the filtrate with a nickel solution, a cobalt solution and a manganese solution to obtain a solution A, adding the solution A dropwise into ammonium hydroxide under stirring, and then adding an alkali solution under stirring to obtain a solution B; subjecting the solution B to a hydrothermal reaction, filtering, and roasting to obtain a catalyst, such that a chemical formula of the catalyst is Ni.sup.2+.sub.1-x-yCo.sup.2+.sub.xMn.sup.2+.sub.yO, where 0.25≤x<0.45, 0.25≤y<0.45.

A process and an apparatus are disclosed for improved recovery of metal from hot and cold dross, wherein a dross-treating furnace is provided with a filling material with capacity to store heat. This filling material is preheated to a desired temperature by injection of an oxidizing gas to burn non-recoverable metal remaining in the filling material after tapping of the recoverable metal contained in the dross and discharging of the treatment residue. When dross is treated in such furnace, the heat emanating by conduction from the filling material is sufficient to melt and separate the recoverable metal contained in the dross, without addition of an external heat source, such as fuel or gas burners, plasma torches or electric arcs and without use of any salt fluxes. Furthermore, the recovered metal being in the molten state can be fed to the molten metal holding furnace without cooling the melt.

A method for recovering at least cobalt of valuable metals, cobalt and nickel, from an acidic solution obtained by subjecting waste containing positive electrode materials for lithium ion secondary batteries to a wet process, the acidic solution comprising cobalt ions, nickel ions and impurities, wherein the method includes: a first extraction step for Co recovery, the first extraction step being for extracting cobalt ions by solvent extraction from the acidic solution and stripping the cobalt ions; an electrolytic step for Co recovery, the electrolytic step being for providing electrolytic cobalt by electrolysis using a stripped solution obtained in the first extraction step for Co recovery as an electrolytic solution; a dissolution step for Co recovery, the dissolution step being for dissolving the electrolytic cobalt in an acid; and a second extraction step for Co recovery, the second extraction step being for extracting cobalt ions by solvent extraction from a cobalt dissolved solution obtained in the dissolution step for Co recovery and stripping the cobalt ions.

Disclosed herein are systems and methods that can present low-temperature recycling of rare metals from spent electrodes. An exemplary method of recycling a battery comprises: mixing, in a solution, at least an electrode material and a first solvent; reducing the electrode material in the solution to create a metallic material; and extracting the metallic material from the solution.

A novel process for treating pickling acid residue and recovering sulfates and nickel therefrom has been developed. By lowering the pH of a magnesium compound slurry to 4-5.5 with sulfuric acid containing pickling acid residue in the presence of ammonium sulfate, both magnesium sulfate and nickel sulfate are solubilized. Magnesium sulfate and nickel sulfate solution is separated from the solids by filtration and an iron hydroxide and chromium hydroxide residue is obtained as a precipitate. Magnesium sulfate and nickel sulfate are then separated from the solution.