Abstract

The recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries remains a challenging task due to the complexity of the leach liquors, which contains several metals in acidic solution. The recovery of valuable metals, viz. Co, Li, Mn, Ni, is also difficult due to the similar chemical behavior of the divalent metal ions. Solvent extraction is mainly used for the separation of these metals, but the conventional extractants used in combination with molecular diluents usually lack of selectivity. We report a new solvent extraction system based on N,N,N',N'-Tetra-n-octyldiglycolamide (TODGA) diluted in the room temperature hydrophobic ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide. Up to 99% of manganese can be extracted in one step with separation factors in the range 40–60 for Mn/Co separation and higher than 200 for the other metals. The mechanism of extraction was detailed. Cobalt separation was done using the ionic liquid tri-hexyltetradecylphosphonium chloride. More than 90% of cobalt can be extracted with very high separation factors. Nickel and lithium separation was carried out by deep eutectic solvents (DESs) based on lidocaine and carboxylic acids. The use of a DES made of decanoic acid and lidocaine shows a high extraction efficiency for nickel while lithium is left in solution.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.