Lithium Recovery by Precipitation from Impure Solutions – Lithium Ion Battery Waste

Abstract

Hydrochloric acid (HCl) leaching solutions were investigated with the aim of recovering the lithium present in industrial battery waste. The lithium‐rich solution after HCl leaching of battery waste contains major impurities such as iron, nickel, cobalt, manganese, aluminum, and copper. This composition was used as a model system to prepare a synthetic solution for lithium recovery by precipitation. The precipitation results indicated that the feeding rate of carbonate and stirring rate had an effect on particle size distribution. Uniform particles were obtained with a semi‐batch process. A faster carbonate feeding rate can result in a smaller particle size due to the high supersaturation degree and chemical reaction rates.

Precipitation of Cobalt Salts for Recovery in Leachates

“…Concerning nickel, it is precipitated in the same way at a pH between 6 and 7. Lithium is recovered by adding sodium carbonate as mentioned in literature . This process allows to separate metals selectively by precipitation by controlling pH conditions.…”

Emerging green technologies for recovery and reuse of spent lithium-ion batteries – a review

“…Inorganic acid leaching as a traditional leaching method of metal ions has been widely studied so far. HCl, 44,119 H 2 SO 4 , 120,121 HNO 3 , 122,123 etc. have been widely applied in the leaching process of spent LIBs.…”

Hydrometallurgical Recovery of Spent Lithium Ion Batteries: Environmental Strategies and Sustainability Evaluation

“…In recent research, different types of inorganic acids such as HCl, − H 2 SO 4 , ,− and HNO 3 , have been widely used as leaching agents in recycling spent LIBs. Although the aforementioned traditional inorganic acids have strong acidity and can effectively improve the leaching efficiency under the premise of low acid demand, they also have apparent disadvantages such as equipment corrosion, requirement of more alkali in the subsequent pH adjustment, and pollution from the leaching effluent .…”