Selective Precipitation of Metal Oxalates from Lithium Ion Battery Leach Solutions

Eva Gerold,Helmut Antrekowitsch,Stefan Luidold

doi:10.3390/met10111435

Abstract

The separation of cobalt and nickel from sulfatic leach liquors of spent lithium-ion batteries is described in this paper. In addition to the base metals (e.g., cobalt and nickel), components such as manganese and lithium are also present in such leach liquors. The co-precipitation of these contaminants can be prevented during leach liquor processing by selective precipitation. For the recovery of a cobalt-nickel mixed material, oxalic acid serves as a suitable reagent. For the optimization of the precipitation retention time and yield, the dependence of the oxalic acid addition must be taken into account. In addition to efficiency, attention must also be given to the purity of the product. After this procedure, further processing of the products by calcination into oxides leads to better marketability. A series of experiments confirms the suitability of oxalic acid for precipitation of cobalt and nickel as a mixed oxalate from sulfatic liquors and also suggests a possible route for further processing of the products with increased marketability. The impurities in the resulting oxides are below 3%, whereby a sufficiently high purity of the mixed oxide can be achieved.

Highlights

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have been available on the market since the early 1990s [1].Technological innovations driven by various branches of industry have led to a large number and variety of different electronic devices worldwide [2]
Oxalic acid is an effective precipitant for the simultaneous recovery of cobalt and nickel from
Oxalic acid is an effective precipitant for the simultaneous recovery of cobalt and nickel from leaching solutions generated from the recycling of lithium-ion batteries

Summary

Introduction

Technological innovations driven by various branches of industry have led to a large number and variety of different electronic devices worldwide [2] These developments have greatly stimulated the production and consumption of LIBs [3]. It must be considered that electronic waste is the fastest growing solid waste problem worldwide, including LIBs for electronic devices and vehicles [5]. For this reason, the recycling of lithium-ion batteries must be addressed, from an environmental point of view, and for its economic benefits due to the increasing price of cobalt [6]. Critical raw materials are highlighted and located within the criticality zone of the graph. [7,8]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion