Abrégé

A method for the anodic dissolution of nickel and cobalt metals in acids from recycled lithium ion batteries to their corresponding metal salts is disclosed. The anodic dissolution system comprises an anode and cathode compartment separated by an anion exchange membrane separator. The anode comprises the nickel or cobalt metal to be anodically dissolved while the cathode is a non-dissolvable cathode. In further embodiments, the anodic dissolution is performed in an acidic electrolyte, for example, sulfuric acid to so produce the corresponding metal sulfates. Where desired, the metal salt enriched anode solution can be passed through a membrane distillation unit to further concentrate the metal salt solution by removing water, which can be recycled in the anodic dissolution system. The nickel or cobalt salt solution can then be directly used in producing the metal oxides used in lithium ion and other batteries.

Classes IPC  ?

• C25B 3/13 - Composés organométalliques
• C25B 9/13 - Cellules électrolytiques individuelles avec circulation d’un électrolyte
• C25B 15/08 - Alimentation ou vidange des réactifs ou des électrolytesRégénération des électrolytes

Abrégé

Black mass from disused lithium batteries is leached for recovery of various metals in a process that includes precipitation, solvent exchange, ion exchange, and salt splitting to create multiple product streams for recovery of pure value products. Most typically, the process is a closed-loop process and allows for production of metallic cobalt and nickel, EMD, and a high purity lithium hydroxide or carbonate product with minimal generation of waste streams.

Classes IPC  ?

• H01M 10/54 - Récupération des parties utiles des accumulateurs usagés
• C22B 3/06 - Extraction de composés métalliques par voie humide à partir de minerais ou de concentrés par lixiviation dans des solutions inorganiques acides
• C22B 15/00 - Obtention du cuivre
• C22B 21/00 - Obtention de l'aluminium
• C22B 3/00 - Extraction de composés métalliques par voie humide à partir de minerais ou de concentrés
• C22B 47/00 - Obtention du manganèse

Abrégé

Lead oxide particles are produced in a ball mill or Barton pot-type process from a lead product formed by an electrolytic process that continuously generates metallic lead. The lead product may be in form of lead flakes, spongy lead, or a nano- and/or microcrystalline lead matrix that is directly obtained from the electrolytic process, optionally washed, and may be compressed before being fed to the ball mill or Barton pot-type process. Notably, thusly produced lead oxide particles have desirable purity and size distribution, despite the presence of residual aqueous solution from the electrolytic process that produced the feedstock for the ball mill or Barton pot.

Classes IPC  ?

• H01M 4/56 - Emploi de substances spécifiées comme matériaux actifs, masses actives, liquides actifs d'oxydes ou d'hydroxydes inorganiques de plomb
• H01M 4/02 - Électrodes composées d'un ou comprenant un matériau actif
• H01M 4/57 - Emploi de substances spécifiées comme matériaux actifs, masses actives, liquides actifs d'oxydes ou d'hydroxydes inorganiques de plomb de "plomb gris", c.-à-d. de poudres à base de plomb et d'oxyde de plomb
• H01M 10/0567 - Matériaux liquides caracterisés par les additifs
• H01M 10/0568 - Matériaux liquides caracterisés par les solutés
• H01M 10/0569 - Matériaux liquides caracterisés par les solvants

Abrégé

Valuable metals, and especially copper and silver, are recovered from a lead containing electrolyte in a process in which the electrolyte is fed into an electrochemical polishing reactor that has a high-surface area cathode at which the electrode potential is controlled to so preferentially reduce copper and silver and to form a pre-treated lead-enriched electrolyte that can then be subjected to electrochemical lead recovery.

Classes IPC  ?

• C25C 1/12 - Production, récupération ou affinage électrolytique des métaux par électrolyse de solutions du cuivre
• C25C 1/20 - Production, récupération ou affinage électrolytique des métaux par électrolyse de solutions des métaux nobles
• C25C 7/02 - ÉlectrodesLeurs connexions
• C25C 7/06 - Conduite ou entretien
• C25F 3/16 - Polissage

Abrégé

Lead is recovered from lead paste of a lead acid battery in a continuous and electrochemical lead recovery process. In especially preferred aspects, lead paste is processed to remove residual sulfates, and the so treated lead paste is subjected to a thermal treatment step that removes residual moisture and reduces lead dioxide to lead oxide. Advantageously, such pretreatment will avoid lead dioxide accumulation and electrolyte dilution.

Classes IPC  ?

• H01M 10/54 - Récupération des parties utiles des accumulateurs usagés
• C22B 3/00 - Extraction de composés métalliques par voie humide à partir de minerais ou de concentrés

Abrégé

Devices and methods for electrode diaphragms are presented in which a hydrophobic polymeric diaphragm is pretreated with ions present in an electrolyte under conditions that are effective to increase wettability of the diaphragm. It is contemplated that the diaphragm can first be exposed to a wetting agent and then placed in an aqueous electrolyte used in an electrochemical process. Current can be applied in an amount sufficient to drive ions of the ionic solution into the polymeric diaphragm.

Classes IPC  ?

• B01D 61/44 - Électrodialyse à sélectivité ionique
• B01D 71/00 - Membranes semi-perméables destinées aux procédés ou aux appareils de séparation, caractérisées par leurs matériauxProcédés spécialement adaptés à leur fabrication
• C25C 7/04 - DiaphragmesÉléments d'espacement
• C25B 9/08 - Cellules comportant des électrodes fixes de dimensions stables; Assemblages de leurs éléments de structure avec des diaphragmes

Abrégé

Lead is recycled from lead paste of lead acid batteries in a process that employs alkaline desulfurization followed by formation of plumbite that is then electrolytically converted to pure lead. Remaining insoluble lead dioxide is removed from the lead plumbite solution and reduced to produce lead oxide that can be fed back to the recovery system. Sulfate is recovered as sodium sulfate, while the so produced lead oxide can be added to lead paste for recovery.

Classes IPC  ?

• C22B 3/00 - Extraction de composés métalliques par voie humide à partir de minerais ou de concentrés
• C22B 3/12 - Extraction de composés métalliques par voie humide à partir de minerais ou de concentrés par lixiviation dans des solutions inorganiques alcalines
• C22B 3/20 - Traitement ou purification de solutions, p. ex. de solutions obtenues par lixiviation
• H01M 10/54 - Récupération des parties utiles des accumulateurs usagés
• C25B 1/30 - Peroxydes

Abrégé

Lead is recovered from lead paste of a lead acid battery in a continuous process. The lead paste is contacted with a base to generate a supernatant and a precipitate. The precipitate is separated from the supernatant, and is contacted with an alkane sulfonic acid to generate a mixture of lead ion solution and insoluble lead dioxide. The lead dioxide is reduced with a reducing agent to form lead oxide, and the lead oxide is combined with the lead ion solution to form a combined lead ion solution to so allow a continuous process without lead dioxide accumulation. Lead is recovered from the combined lead ion solution using electrolysis.

Classes IPC  ?

• C22B 3/00 - Extraction de composés métalliques par voie humide à partir de minerais ou de concentrés
• C22B 3/20 - Traitement ou purification de solutions, p. ex. de solutions obtenues par lixiviation
• C22B 3/22 - Traitement ou purification de solutions, p. ex. de solutions obtenues par lixiviation par des procédés physiques, p. ex. par filtration, par des moyens magnétiques
• C22B 3/44 - Traitement ou purification de solutions, p. ex. de solutions obtenues par lixiviation par des procédés chimiques
• C22B 5/00 - Procédés généraux de réduction appliqués aux métaux
• C25C 1/18 - Production, récupération ou affinage électrolytique des métaux par électrolyse de solutions du plomb
• H01M 10/54 - Récupération des parties utiles des accumulateurs usagés
• H01M 10/06 - Accumulateurs au plomb

Abrégé

Sulfate produced in lead acid battery processing can be recovered as sulfuric acid. A lead paste from a lead acid battery is collected and contacted with a base to produce a two-phase reaction product. The two-phase reaction product comprises a supernatant having a soluble sulfate salt and a precipitate having an insoluble lead salt. The supernatant is treated in an electrochemical flow cell to thereby produce sulfuric acid and a regenerated base.

Classes IPC  ?

• C01B 17/74 - Préparation
• C01B 17/88 - Concentration de l'acide sulfurique
• C01B 17/90 - SéparationPurification
• C25B 1/00 - Production électrolytique de composés inorganiques ou de non-métaux
• C25B 7/00 - Production électrophorétique de composés ou de non-métaux

Abrégé

A closed loop electrochemical process of recovery of high-purity lead uses continuous formation of adherent lead on a cathode from an electrolyte that is used to dissolve desulfated lead paste. Preferred cathodes include aluminum containing cathodes that are operated in methane sulfonic acid to produce a micro- or nanoporous mixed matrix metallic composition and lead dioxide formation at the anode is avoided using appropriate anode configurations or operating conditions

Classes IPC  ?

• C25C 1/18 - Production, récupération ou affinage électrolytique des métaux par électrolyse de solutions du plomb
• C25C 7/06 - Conduite ou entretien
• C25C 7/00 - Éléments structurels, ou leur assemblage, des cellulesEntretien ou conduite des cellules
• C25C 7/02 - ÉlectrodesLeurs connexions
• C25C 7/04 - DiaphragmesÉléments d'espacement
• H01M 10/54 - Récupération des parties utiles des accumulateurs usagés
• H01M 10/06 - Accumulateurs au plomb

Abrégé

The inventive subject matter is directed to continuous electrochemical production of highly pure micro- or nanostructured lead that at least partially encloses the electroprocessing solvent and molecular hydrogen and optional guest compounds to form a mixed matrix. Such compositions are particularly suitable for cold forming of various structures and/or for alloy and composite material production.

Classes IPC  ?

• C25D 3/36 - Dépôt électrochimiqueBains utilisés à partir de solutions de plomb caractérisé par les constituants organiques utilisés pour le bain
• C25D 21/04 - Enlèvement des gaz ou des vapeurs
• C25D 5/02 - Dépôt sur des surfaces déterminées
• H01M 10/54 - Récupération des parties utiles des accumulateurs usagés
• H01M 10/06 - Accumulateurs au plomb

Abrégé

Lead from lead acid battery scrap is recovered in two separate production streams as clean grid lead and as high-purity lead without smelting. In preferred aspects, lead recovery is performed in a continuous process that uses an aqueous electroprocessing solvent and electro-refining. Spent electroprocessing solvent and/or base utilized to treat lead paste from the lead acid battery scrap can be recycled to the recovery process.

Classes IPC  ?

• H01M 10/54 - Récupération des parties utiles des accumulateurs usagés
• H01M 10/06 - Accumulateurs au plomb

Abrégé

Lead from lead acid battery scrap is recovered in two separate production streams as clean grid lead and as high-purity lead without smelting. In preferred aspects, lead recovery is performed in a continuous process that uses an aqueous electroprocessing solvent and electro-refining, and spent electroprocessing solvent can be recycled to the recovery process.

Classes IPC  ?

• H01M 10/54 - Récupération des parties utiles des accumulateurs usagés
• H01M 10/06 - Accumulateurs au plomb
• H01M 4/14 - Électrodes pour accumulateurs au plomb
• C25C 1/18 - Production, récupération ou affinage électrolytique des métaux par électrolyse de solutions du plomb