The present invention provides an extracting method of extracting nickel from laterite minerals. The extracting method comprises steps of gathering laterite minerals, placing electrodes into a solution, heating the solution to 75 degrees Celsius, placing the electrodes within the solution, applying a constant current, shutting off the current, filtering the solution, pouring an alkaline solution into the solution, cooling down the solution at room temperature, cooling down the solution to 0 degrees Celsius, filtering the solution, and immersing the electrodes into the solution, adding additional materials to the solution.

The present invention provides an extracting method of extracting nickel from laterite minerals. The extracting method comprises steps of gathering laterite minerals, placing electrodes into a solution, heating the solution to 75 degrees Celsius, placing the electrodes within the solution, applying a constant current, shutting off the current, filtering the solution, pouring an alkaline solution into the solution, cooling down the solution at room temperature, cooling down the solution to 0 degrees Celsius, filtering the solution, and immersing the electrodes into the solution, adding additional materials to the solution.

Disclosed herein is an electrolyzer comprising a horizontal cathode located below a suspended anode for purposes of performing electrolysis on metal-bearing mixtures or solutions. The horizontal cathode may comprise the bottom surface of a compartment for containing a mixture or solution of metal components, electrolyte, and/or supplemental chemicals. The horizontal anode may engage the upper surface of the mixture or solution in the compartment. A removal mechanism for facilitating removal of the end-products of the mixture or solution from the compartment (and the surface of the horizontal cathode) through the gate may also be employed. These implementations may be used in recycling of lead acid batteries (LABs) without any need for smelting, and also may be applied to a variety of different electrolytical operations.

Recovery of noble metals (including the recovery of gold and/or silver from gold and/or silver containing material) is generally described. The gold and/or silver can be recovered selectively, in some cases, such that gold and/or silver are at least partially separated from non-silver and/or non-gold material. Gold and/or silver may be recovered from material using mixtures of acids, in some instances. In some cases, the mixture can comprise nitric acid and at least one supplemental acid, such as sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, and/or a sulfonic acid. The amount of nitric acid within the mixture can be, in some instances, relatively small compared to the amount of sulfuric acid or phosphoric acid within the mixture. In some cases, the recovery of gold and/or silver using the acid mixtures can be enhanced by transporting an electric current between an electrode and the gold and/or silver of the material. In some cases, acid mixtures can be used to recover silver from particular types of materials, such as material comprising silver metal and cadmium oxide and/or material comprising silver metal and tungsten metal.

Recovery of noble metals (including the recovery of gold and/or silver from gold and/or silver containing material) is generally described. The gold and/or silver can be recovered selectively, in some cases, such that gold and/or silver are at least partially separated from non-silver and/or non-gold material. Gold and/or silver may be recovered from material using mixtures of acids, in some instances. In some cases, the mixture can comprise nitric acid and at least one supplemental acid, such as sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, and/or a sulfonic acid. The amount of nitric acid within the mixture can be, in some instances, relatively small compared to the amount of sulfuric acid or phosphoric acid within the mixture. In some cases, the recovery of gold and/or silver using the acid mixtures can be enhanced by transporting an electric current between an electrode and the gold and/or silver of the material. In some cases, acid mixtures can be used to recover silver from particular types of materials, such as material comprising silver metal and cadmium oxide and/or material comprising silver metal and tungsten metal.

Systems and methods for converting metal oxide to metal using metal carbide as an intermediate, include: reacting the metal oxide with carbon to produce the metal carbide, wherein the metal carbide is in a form of powder or pellets; and subjecting the metal carbide produced from the metal oxide and the carbon to electrolysis in an electrorefiner to produce and purify the metal.

An electrochemical deposition apparatus and method for the selective recovery of metal. The electrochemical deposition apparatus comprises a porous cathodic material, an anode, an inter-electrode region formed by the anode and cathode, and a gas release channel. The method may comprise passing a solution comprising a metal into a cavity, changing an oxidation state of a metal, and selectively depositing the metal onto a porous cathodic material. The electrochemical deposition apparatus may recover metal from metal feed in the form of metal hydroxides. The recovered metal may be from any source including, but not limited to, minerals, electronic waste, and black mass.

An electrochemical deposition apparatus and method for the selective recovery of metal. The electrochemical deposition apparatus comprises a porous cathodic material, an anode, an inter-electrode region formed by the anode and cathode, and a gas release channel. The method may comprise passing a solution comprising a metal into a cavity, changing an oxidation state of a metal, and selectively depositing the metal onto a porous cathodic material. The electrochemical deposition apparatus may recover metal from metal feed in the form of metal hydroxides. The recovered metal may be from any source including, but not limited to, minerals, electronic waste, and black mass.

Methods and systems for producing are disclosed. A method for producing iron, for example, comprises: providing an iron-containing ore to a dissolution subsystem comprising a first electrochemical cell; wherein the first anolyte has a different composition than the first catholyte; dissolving at least a portion of the iron-containing ore using an acid to form an acidic iron-salt solution having dissolved first Fe.sup.3+ ions; providing at least a portion of the acidic iron-salt solution to the first cathodic chamber; first electrochemically reducing said first Fe.sup.3+ ions in the first catholyte to form Fe.sup.2+ ions; transferring the formed Fe.sup.2+ ions from the dissolution subsystem to an iron-plating subsystem having a second electrochemical cell; second electrochemically reducing a first portion of the transferred formed Fe.sup.2+ ions to Fe metal at a second cathode of the second electrochemical cell; and removing the Fe metal.

The present invention relates to a carbon-nanotube/nano-adsorption-material-based electrode and an electrochemical valuable-metal recovery device using the same, and more particularly to an environmentally friendly carbon-nanotube/nano-adsorption-material-based electrode and an electrochemical valuable-metal recovery device using the same, in which valuable metals selectively adsorbed from e-waste wastewater are oxidized using, as an anode, an electrode including carbon nanotubes and a nano adsorption material capable of selectively adsorbing valuable metals and are simultaneously reduced at a cathode, thereby separating and recovering valuable metals.