Pyrometallurgical recycling of end-of-life batteries

Abstract

According to the present invention, a method is provided for extracting one or more valuable base metals from end-of-life battery waste, the method comprising the steps of: obtaining end-of-life battery waste containing one or more valuable metals; subjecting the black mass to a pyrometallurgical furnace defined by a turbulent bath comprising: one or more sulfidizing agents; one or more fluxes; one or more fuel; thereby providing a partial pressure of oxygen of approximately 10-13 and about 10-4 atm; forming a matte base metal phase and a slag, the slag containing less than approximately 5 wt% of base metal(s); separating the matte phase from the slag; and further refining the matte base metal phase to obtain one or more valuable base metals.