Inco Limited

Tesla, Inc.

Feng Zou

Juraj Babjak

Victor A Ettel

Samuel W Marcuson

Stephen Joseph Baksa

Mohammad Jahangir Hossain

Quan Min Yang

Yang Liu

This invention provides an environmental friendly method for the production of high capacity cathode materials for use in Li-ion batteries. Traditional methods for producing lithium mixed metal oxide cathode materials typically generate large amounts of effluent which effluent must be treated prior to discharge. The present process uses mixed metals as raw materials, in a wet chemical reaction with an oxidant, in order to make high-quality metal hydroxide precursors which can be used to prepare high-quality cathode materials after lithiation. As a key feature, in the precursor preparation process, the bulk of the aqueous solution used for the wet chemical reaction can be recycled back to the reactor, so that the total process has little or no effluent generated during production of the cathode precursor material.

Method to produce cathode materials for Li-ion batteries

A low temperature contaminant limiting process for lithiating hydroxides and forming lithiated metal oxides of suitable crystalinity in-situ. M(OH)is added to an aqueous solution of LiOH. An oxidant is introduced into the solution which is heated below about 150&#xb0; C. and, if necessary, agitated. M may be selected from cobalt, nickel and manganese. The resultant LiMObecomes crystallized in-situ and is subsequently removed.

Low temperature lithiation of mixed hydroxides

A method for removing sodium sulfate from nickel and ammonia containing aqueous effluents. The effluents, typically from a nickel hydroxide production process, are cooled to or below 30&deg; C. to crystallize and precipitate the sodium sulfate and dewater the effluent. The sodium sulfate is retrieved and the remaining solution is recycled back to the nickel hydroxide production process.

Process for removing sodium sulfate from nickel hydroxide effluent streams

A process for decreasing the crystallinity of nickel hydroxide by generating and supplying large numbers of heteronuclei into the nickel hydroxide producing reaction system. Nickel sulfate and sodium hydroxide are initially forcefully and intimately combined to form a supersaturated solution of heteronuclei. These heteronuclei are introduced into a nickel powder containing slurry wherein nickel hydroxide having a crystallinity FWHM value of greater than about 0.5&deg; is generated.

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Mississauga, Canada

Feng Zou