Cobalt-Nickel Hydroxide Purification via Water-Washing and Solvent Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for manufacturing solutions containing cobalt and nickel from nickel-containing raw materials, such as nickel oxide ore, face challenges in achieving high purity while dealing with impurities like manganese, magnesium, iron, silicon, calcium, zinc, aluminum, copper, and chromium, which contaminate the electrode materials and deteriorate battery characteristics.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a water-washing process, leaching process, neutralization process, and extraction process is employed to treat hydroxides containing cobalt and nickel. This method includes controlling the slurry concentration, adjusting pH levels, and using a reducing agent to enhance the leaching rates and purity of the cobalt-nickel solution, ultimately achieving high purity through solvent extraction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a wet processing method such as solvent extraction is used to manufacture nickel and cobalt solutions separately, then high purity nickel solution and cobalt solution can be obtained, but the manufacturing cost increases and the process becomes complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the manufacturing processes for nickel solution and cobalt solution into a single integrated process. By using a mixed hydroxide slurry containing both nickel and cobalt as the starting material and applying a series of combined processing steps (water-washing, leaching, neutralization, and solvent extraction), the patent simultaneously produces both high-purity nickel solution and cobalt solution, thereby reducing process complexity and manufacturing costs while maintaining high purity levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the impurity removal process into distinct stages: water-washing for initial purification, leaching for dissolving metal hydroxides, neutralization for pH adjustment and precipitation of certain impurities, and solvent extraction for selective separation of nickel and cobalt. This segmented approach allows for efficient removal of different types of impurities at appropriate stages, achieving high purity while managing process complexity.
2Manufacturing precision
If acid dissolution is used to manufacture cobalt solution with increased purity, then high purity cobalt solution can be obtained, but a large amount of acid and heat source are required and the process becomes complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the leaching process by carefully controlling parameters such as liquid-to-solid ratio, leaching time, and temperature. By using a controlled amount of sulfuric acid and managing the leaching conditions, the patent achieves high cobalt extraction efficiency without requiring excessive acid or heat, thereby reducing material consumption and process complexity while maintaining high purity.
3Productivity
If nickel-containing raw materials such as nickel oxide ore are used, then nickel and cobalt can be collected together, but impurities such as manganese, magnesium, iron, silicon, calcium, zinc, aluminum, copper, and chromium contaminate the electrode materials and deteriorate battery characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses an organic solvent as an intermediary in the solvent extraction process to selectively separate nickel and cobalt from the aqueous solution containing various impurities. The organic solvent acts as a mediator that preferentially extracts nickel and cobalt while leaving impurities in the aqueous phase, thereby achieving high purity nickel and cobalt solutions suitable for electrode material production while efficiently collecting both metals from nickel-containing raw materials.
4Productivity
If cobalt hydroxide containing a large amount of impurities is produced in cobalt smelting, then cobalt can be extracted, but the purity of the final solution decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary water-washing treatment to the mixed nickel-cobalt hydroxide slurry before leaching. This preliminary action removes water-soluble impurities and prepares the hydroxide for more efficient leaching, ensuring that subsequent processing steps yield high-purity nickel and cobalt solutions while maintaining efficient metal extraction.
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
The method effectively produces a high purity cobalt-nickel solution with reduced impurities, thereby improving the quality of electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries and reducing manufacturing costs by eliminating the need for separate nickel and cobalt processing.
Implementation Method 1
the slurry is filtered to obtain a sediment
Implementation Method 2
the sediment is then washed with water
Implementation Method 3
the post-water-washing crude hydroxide is subjected to leaching with an acid
Implementation Method 4
a pH adjusting agent is added to the post-leaching solution to perform neutralization
Implementation Method 5
solid-liquid separation is then performed to remove a post-neutralization residue
Implementation Method 6
the post-neutralization solution obtained is subjected to solvent extraction with an extractant to extract and remove one or more of manganese, magnesium, calcium, zinc, and copper as the impurities
Data Source
AI summary
A method of manufacturing a cobalt-nickel-containing solution including: preparing a crude nickel hydroxide and/or a crude cobalt hydroxide as a starting material, the crude nickel or cobalt hydroxide containing cobalt and nickel and elements except the cobalt and nickel as impurities, the crude nickel hydroxide containing the nickel more than the cobalt, and the crude cobalt hydroxide containing the cobalt more than the nickel; a water-washing process for obtaining a post-water-washing crude hydroxide from the starting material; a leaching process for obtaining a post-leaching solution from the post-water-washing crude hydroxide; a neutralization process of subjecting the post-leaching solution to neutralization and solid-liquid-separation to remove the impurities as a post-neutralization residue containing one or more of iron, silicon, aluminum, and chromium, thereby obtaining a post-neutralization solution; and an extraction process of subjecting the post-neutralization solution to solvent extraction to obtain a post-extraction solution containing cobalt and nickel with the impurities reduced.