Basf Se Corporation

Matthias Voges

Wolfgang Rohde

Kerstin Schierle-Arndt

Markus Hartmann

Regina Vogelsang

Michael Klemens Mueller

Torben Adermann

Frank Jaekel

Birgit Gerke

Fabian Seeler

Astrid Schmidt

Gareth Smith

A process for the recovery of lithium from waste lithium ion batteries or parts thereof is disclosed. The process comprising the steps of (a) providing a particulate material containing a transition metal compound and/or transition metal, wherein the transition metal is selected from the group consisting of Mn, Ni and Co, and wherein further at least a fraction of said Ni and/or Co, if present, are in an oxidation state lower than +2, and at least a fraction of said Mn, if present, is manganese(II)oxide; which particulate material further contains a lithium salt and a fluoride salt, and which particulate material optionally contains calcium provided that the element ratio calcium to fluorine is 1.7 or less or is zero; (b) treating the material provided in step (a) with a polar solvent and an alkaline earth hydroxide; and (c) separating the solids from the liquid, optionally followed by washing the solid residue with a polar solvent such as water provides good separation of lithium in high purity, and recovery of valuable transition metals.

Process for the recovery of lithium from waste lithium ion batteries

Disclosed herein is a process for the recovery of one or more transition metals and lithium from waste lithium ion batteries or parts thereof. The process includes the steps of (a) providing a particulate material containing a transition metal compound and/or transition metal; (b) treating the material provided in step (a) with a polar solvent and optionally an alkaline earth hydroxide, (c) separating the solids from the liquid, optionally followed by a solid-solid separation step; and (d) treating the solids containing the transition metal in a way to dissolve at least part of the Ni and/or Co. The process provides good separation of lithium in high purity and of transition metal useful for the production of battery cathode active materials.

Process for the recovery of lithium and other metals from waste lithium ion batteries

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Ludwigshafen, Germany

Matthias Voges