Recovery of Al, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Ni from spent LIBs after Li selective separation by COOL-Process – Part 2: Solvent Extraction from Sulphate Leaching Solution

Abstract

The market for lithium-ion batteries (LIB) is experiencing substantial growth, what is owed to electromobility and the growing demand for cordless devices. Securing the raw material base for LIB is mandatory to achieve the objectives of EU commission's Green Deal. This implies not only sufficient access to lithium but also the accompanying metals, above all Co, Ni, Mn. After preceding recovery of Li2CO3 by the COOL-Process and subsequent acid digestion of the Li-free black mass, value metals, such as Co, Cu, Ni, and Mn were recovered by counter-current solvent extraction. Fe (98.5 ± 0.65 %), Co/Mn (99.8 ± 0.78 %; 99.9 ± 1.11 %), Al (99.7 ± 1.07 %) and Cu/Ni (97.8 ± 1.46 %; 98.6 ± 1.32 %) were selectively extracted with high discriminatory power using cationic exchangers and solvating extractants such as D2EHPA and TBP, respectively. This way, a complete, holistic recycling process for LIB is at hand that allows for recovering housing material, lithium and the accompanying metals almost quantitatively.