The invention relates to a process for selectively and continuously extracting a series of desired species from a matrix, comprising the steps of:—injecting a plasma (310) in an extraction chamber by means of a plasma torch,—continuously monitoring (320) the excited elements extracted from the matrix and contained in the plasma by optical emission spectroscopy, and for each species of the series,—setting a distance (330) between the support and the plasma torch, and the composition of the injected plasma as a function of the monitored excited elements so that only one desired species of the series of species is being extracted from the matrix under molecular form, and—providing (400) a plate in the extraction chamber, exterior to the plasma, causing collection of molecules comprising said desired species by deposition onto the surface of the plate.

A method of separating one or more elements from an alloy includes subjecting a metal alloy to a stimulus to form an enriched material including the one or more elements and to form a depleted material. The enriched material is enriched in the one or more elements compared to the alloy and the depleted material is depleted in the one or more elements compared to the alloy. The method also includes removing the enriched material and the depleted material from one another.

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:

10%<MnO<40%;

(CaO+1.5*Li.sub.2O)/Al.sub.2O.sub.3>0.3;

CaO+0.8*MnO+0.8*Li.sub.2O<60%;

(CaO+2*Li.sub.2O+0.4*MnO)/SiO.sub.2≥2.0;

Li.sub.2≥1%; and,

Al.sub.2O.sub.3+SiO.sub.2+CaO+Li.sub.2O+MnO+FeO+MgO>85%.

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

A process for the recovery of one or more transition metals and lithium from waste lithium ion batteries or parts thereof is disclosed. The process comprising the steps of (a) providing a particulate material containing a transition metal compound and/or transition metal, wherein the transition metal is selected from the group consisting of Ni and Co, and wherein further at least a fraction of said Ni and/or Co, if present, are in an oxidation state lower than +2, e.g. in the metallic state; which particulate material further contains a lithium salt; (b) treating the material provided in step (a) with a polar solvent and optionally an alkaline earth hydroxide; (c) separating the solids from the liquid, optionally followed by a solid-solid separation step; and (d) treating the solids containing the transition metal in a smelting furnace to obtain a metal melt containing Ni and/or Co provides good separation of transition metal as alloy and of lithium in high purity.

A method for recycling a scrap material includes providing a sample having one or more components having a respective melting temperature, and heating the sample to a first melting point corresponding to a first component to form a molten first component, and separating the molten first component from the sample. A system for recycling scrap materials includes a housing component for a sample containing one or more components to be heated, and subsequently melted and separated. The system may include a microwave plasma source, and at least one collection mechanism corresponding to each separated molten component.

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:
10%<MnO<40%;
(CaO+1.5*Li.sub.2O)/Al.sub.2O.sub.3>0.3;
CaO+0.8*MnO+0.8*Li.sub.2O<60%;
(CaO+2*Li.sub.2O+0.4*MnO)/SiO.sub.2≥2.0;
Li.sub.2≥1%; and,
Al.sub.2O.sub.3+SiO.sub.2+CaO+Li.sub.2O+MnO+FeO+MgO>85%.
This composition is particularly adapted to limit or avoid the corrosion of furnaces lined with magnesia-bearing refractory bricks.

The invention relates to recovery of tin-lead solder from electronic printed circuit board scrap. The scrap is placed in a liquid-permeable and/or gas-permeable container, which is placed in a liquid or gaseous heat-transfer medium heated to or above the melting temperature of the tin-lead solder. After the tin-lead solder is melted, the heat-transfer medium is removed from the container, then, by means of rotation of the container, the melted tin-lead solder and the remains of the heat-transfer medium are removed from the container. The device comprises a hollow container, which is mounted so as to be capable of rotation and is designed in the form of a body of revolution, and is liquid-permeable and/or gas-permeable in a radial direction from the axis of rotation. The container can be designed in the form of a drum, which can be vertically displaced and has perforated side walls.

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.

A recycling process that facilitates separation of materials from metallic substrates by cryogenically cooling the recyclable items to induce embrittlement of the metals. Embrittled metals may be shattered more efficiently and with a higher yield of materials bound to the metallic substrates. Metal embrittlement may be induced by mixing the source stream with liquid nitrogen, and cooling the stream to approximately minus 200° F. Multiple recovery stages may be employed to maximize the yield of the target materials. Embodiments may enable recovery of platinum group metals (PGMs) from catalytic converters with metallic foil substrates. Yield of PGMs may be enhanced by employing a primary recovery stage and a secondary recovery stage, by cryogenically cooling input materials for each stage, by mixing the pulverized material in secondary recovery with an aqueous solution to dissipate attractive charges, and by wet screening the pulverized material slurry to obtain the PGM particles.

The disclosure relates to a method for sorting a collection of bodies including cemented carbide bodies and non-cemented carbide bodies. A melt having one or more of bismuth, tin and lead and having a density in the range of 7.0-12.0 g/cm.sup.3 is provided. The collection is subjected to a sorting process based on density difference by providing the collection in the melt and allowing the bodies to be sorted into a first group at a top surface of the melt and a second group at a bottom of the melt. The first group includes non-cemented carbide bodies having a density lower than the density of the melt and the second group includes cemented carbide bodies having a density higher than the density of the melt. The present disclosure also relates to a method for recycling of cemented carbides comprising the sorting method and recycling of the second group.