Battery Leachate Phosphate Separation for High-Purity Ni-Co Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for recycling lithium-ion battery leachates face challenges in cost-effectively separating and recovering high-purity metals due to co-precipitation issues and high chemical consumption, leading to low recycling rates and inefficient metal recovery.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the addition of ammonium phosphate to adjust the pH of lithium-ion battery leachates, allowing for the selective precipitation of impurity metals like iron and aluminum, followed by crystallization of nickel-cobalt Tutton's salts without increasing the pH, enabling the recovery of metals in high-purity fractions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional pH adjustment techniques are used to precipitate metal salts, then metal separation is achieved, but co-precipitation occurs resulting in low purities and large quantities of waste are generated
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the chemical parameters by using ammonium phosphate instead of conventional bases for pH adjustment. This specific chemical substitution enables selective precipitation at controlled pH levels, preventing co-precipitation of unwanted metals while achieving high purity metal separation with minimal waste generation.
Solution Approach 2:
Ammonium phosphate serves as an intermediary substance that mediates the pH adjustment process. It provides controlled alkalinity for metal precipitation while its ammonium ion component prevents co-precipitation of certain metals, acting as a selective mediator that improves purity without generating excessive waste.
2Productivity
If conventional precipitation techniques are used for metals separation, then metal recovery is achieved, but large quantities of chemicals are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The invention optimizes chemical consumption by changing from conventional base addition to ammonium phosphate addition. This parameter change enables metal precipitation at lower chemical dosages while maintaining high recovery rates, as ammonium phosphate provides both pH adjustment and selective precipitation control in a single reagent.
3Productivity
If conventional metals separation methods are used, then metal recovery is achieved, but co-precipitation results in low purities
Solution Approach 1:
Ammonium phosphate acts as a selective intermediary that enables high-purity metal separation. The phosphate ion selectively precipitates certain metals while the ammonium ion prevents co-precipitation of others, achieving both high recovery rates and high purities simultaneously through this dual-function mediator.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the precipitation parameters by using ammonium phosphate to control pH and precipitation selectivity. This parameter change enables differential precipitation of metals at controlled pH levels, achieving high purity separation without sacrificing recovery efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach achieves high recovery rates of iron, aluminum, nickel, and cobalt with minimal chemical use and waste generation, facilitating the isolation of valuable metal fractions from lithium-ion battery leachates.
Implementation Method 1
Ammonium phosphate is added to the solution to adjust a pH of the solution to greater than or equal to about 3.00
Implementation Method 2
At least one phosphate precipitate is precipitated from the solution. The at least one phosphate precipitate comprises iron phosphate and aluminum phosphate
Implementation Method 3
Without adding a base to the solution, a crystallized nickel-cobalt Tutton's salt is precipitated from the solution
Data Source
AI summary
A method of separating metals from a lithium-ion battery leachate includes obtaining a solution with iron, aluminum, nickel, and cobalt. Ammonium phosphate is added to the solution to adjust a pH of the solution to greater than or equal to about 3.00. After adjusting the pH of the solution, at least one phosphate—including iron phosphate and aluminum phosphate—is precipitated from the solution. Then, without adding a base to the solution, a crystallized nickel-cobalt Tutton's salt is precipitated from the solution.