Recovery of cobalt as cobalt oxalate from spent lithium ion batteries by using glycine as leaching agent

Abstract

In the article, we are explaining a hydrometallurgical based process on leaching applied to recover Co from spent lithium ion batteries (LIBs). Glycine and ascorbic acid were introduced as leaching reagents and the leaching of Co with a solution containing glycine is investigated. An effective recovery of Co is possible when both glycine and ascorbic acid are used. A condition for achieving a recovery of more than 95% Co has been achieved experimentally by varying the concentrations of leachant and time of the reaction. Leaching with 0.5M glycine, 0.02M ascorbic acid and 0.2g LiCoO2 in a batch extractor, results in a highly efficient recovery of Co within 360min of the processing time at 80°C. This hydrometallurgical process is found to be simple, eco friendly and satisfactory for the recovery of cobalt from spent LIBs.