Copper Nickel Cobalt Separation via Sulfurization and Acid Leaching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for separating copper, nickel, and cobalt from waste lithium ion batteries are inefficient, leading to recovery losses and require high energy consumption or the use of toxic chemicals, making it difficult to achieve high-purity separation of these valuable metals.
Innovation Solution
Sulfurizing the material containing copper, nickel, and cobalt to form a sulfide, followed by contacting it with an acid solution to precipitate copper as a solid sulfide while leaching nickel and cobalt, thereby selectively separating these metals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If dry treatment is used to recover valuable metals from waste LIB, then the process is simple and various impurities can be separated all at once, but most cobalt is distributed to the slag causing recovery loss and high energy consumption is required
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the recovery process into two distinct stages: (1) dry treatment to separate copper-containing metal from slag and other impurities, and (2) wet treatment to recover cobalt from the slag. This segmentation allows each stage to be optimized for its specific function, preventing cobalt loss in the initial dry treatment while maintaining process simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces an intermediate product - the slag from dry treatment - which is then processed through wet treatment. This intermediary approach allows cobalt to be recovered from the slag phase rather than being lost, while the initial dry treatment still provides the benefit of simple impurity separation.
2Ease of manufacture
If dry treatment is used to separate copper and nickel, then the process is straightforward, but copper and nickel cannot be separated effectively as they homogeneously melt and only mix and solidify into layers
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces sulfurization as an intermediary step that transforms copper and nickel into sulfide compounds with different properties. This allows effective separation through density differences in the molten state, achieving both process simplicity and separation effectiveness that cannot be obtained by direct cooling of the alloy.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the chemical state of copper and nickel from metallic elements to sulfide compounds through sulfurization. This parameter change enables effective separation by creating density differences and preventing homogeneous mixing, while maintaining the simplicity of a single-step processing approach.
3Use of energy by moving object
If wet treatment is used to leach valuable components from waste LIB, then energy consumption is low and individual separation is possible, but the hexafluorophosphate anion from the electrolytic solution cannot be completely decomposed and mixes into the acid solution
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the treatment process so that wet treatment is applied only to the slag phase after dry treatment has removed the majority of valuable metals. This reduces the volume of material requiring wet treatment and minimizes hexafluorophosphate contamination in the final products, while still achieving low energy consumption compared to complete wet treatment.
4Manufacturing precision
If purification treatment is performed to separate each component from the alloy, then high purity metals can be obtained, but additional processing steps are required increasing complexity and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the recovery process into two optimized stages: dry treatment for copper recovery and wet treatment for cobalt recovery from slag. This segmentation achieves high purity metals for both copper and cobalt while reducing overall process complexity compared to multiple sequential purification steps from a single alloy.
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 method allows for efficient and selective separation of copper, nickel, and cobalt, enabling their effective reuse as high-purity metals, with copper being recovered as solid copper sulfide suitable for smelting and nickel and cobalt being purified through solvent extraction.
Implementation Method 1
sulfurizing a material containing copper, nickel, and cobalt to obtain a sulfide
Implementation Method 2
bringing the obtained sulfide containing copper, nickel, and cobalt into contact with an acid solution to obtain a solid containing copper and a leachate containing nickel and cobalt
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt, which can efficiently and selectively separate copper from nickel and cobalt in a substance containing copper, nickel, and cobalt in a waste lithium ion battery, etc. In this method, a substance containing copper, nickel, and cobalt is sulfurated to obtain a sulfide, the obtained sulfide that contains copper, nickel, and cobalt is brought into contact with an acid solution to obtain a solid containing copper and a leachate containing nickel and cobalt. The sulfide preferably contains copper sulfide as a main component, and contains nickel metal and cobalt metal. In-addition, when bringing the sulfide into contact with the acid solution, the added amounts of the sulfide and the acid solution are preferably adjusted such that the oxidation-reduction potential of the obtained leachate is maintained at 150 mV or less where a silver/silver chloride electrode is a reference electrode.