Abstract: The invention provides a method by which a valuable metal is recovered, in particular iron. A method for producing a valuable metal containing cobalt (Co), the method comprising: a preparation step in which a starting material that contains at least iron (Fe) and a valuable metal is prepared; a melting step in which a melt is obtained by heating and melting the starting material, and the melt is subsequently formed into a molten material that contains an alloy and slag; and a slag separation step in which the slag is separated from the molten material, thereby recovering the alloy containing the valuable metal. In the preparation step, the Fe/Co mass ratio in the starting material is controlled to 0.5 or less; and in the melting step, the Co content in the slag that is obtained by heating and melting the starting material is set to 1% by mass or less.

Abstract: A positive electrode active material for a lithium ion secondary battery, the positive electrode active material including a lithium-nickel composite oxide having a hexagonal layered structure and configured by single primary particles or by single primary particles and secondary particles with a plurality of aggregated primary particles, wherein a number proportion of the single primary particles to all of the particles is 30% or more, a ratio of a (003) diffraction peak intensity I(003) to a (104) diffraction peak intensity I(104) (I(003)/I(104)) is 2.0 or more, and a degree of circularity is 0.93 or more and 1.00 or less.

Abstract: A positive electrode active material for a lithium ion secondary battery contains a lithium metal composite oxide. The lithium metal composite oxide includes lithium (Li), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), and element M (M) in a mass ratio of Li:Ni:Co:M=1+a:1?x?y:x:y (wherein ?0.05?a?0.50, 0?x?0.35, 0?y?0.35, and the element M is at least one element selected from Mg, Ca, Al, Si, Fe, Cr, Mn, V, Mo, W, Nb, Ti, Zr, and Ta), wherein when a line analysis is performed with STEM-EELS from a surface of a particle of the lithium metal composite oxide to a center of the particle in a cross-section of the particle during charging at 4.3 V (vs. Li+/Li), a thickness of an oxygen release layer, in which an intensity ratio of a peak near 530 eV (1st) to a peak near 545 eV (2nd) at an O-K edge is 0.9 or less, is 200 nm or less.

Abstract: The positive electrode active material for a lithium ion secondary battery contains a lithium-nickel-manganese composite oxide, in which metal elements constituting the lithium-nickel-manganese composite oxide include lithium, nickel, manganese, cobalt, titanium, niobium, and optionally zirconium, an amount of substance ratio of the elements is represented as Li:Ni:Mn:Co:Zr:Ti:Nb=a:b:c:d:e:f:g (provided that, 0.97?a?1.10, 0.80?b?0.88, 0.04?c?0.12, 0.04?d?0.10, 0?e?0.004, 0.003<f?0.030, 0.001<g?0.006, and b+c+d+e+f+g=1), in the amount of substance ratio, (f+g)?0.030 and f>g are satisfied.

Abstract: To provide a method for producing granulated body for lithium adsorption that easily maintain their shapes with a high adsorption capability and more robust granulated body. The method for producing the granulated body for lithium adsorption includes a kneading step of kneading a powder of a lithium adsorbent precursor, an organic binder, and a hardening agent for accelerating hardening of the organic binder to obtain a kneaded material, a granulating step of granulating the kneaded material to obtain granulated body, and a baking step of baking the granulated body at 90° C. or more and 120° C. or less to obtain granulated body for lithium adsorption. This aspect allows obtaining the granulated body for lithium adsorption that easily maintain their shapes with a high adsorption capability and more robust granulated body.

Abstract: The positive electrode active material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery contains a lithium-nickel composite oxide represented by a general formula: LiaNi1?x?yCoxMyO2+? (where 0.01?x?0.35, 0?y?0.10, 0.95?a?1.10, and 0???0.2; and M is at least one element selected from Mn, V, Mg, Mo, Nb, Ti, and Al) and a boron compound. At least part of the boron compound is present on the surface of the lithium-nickel composite oxide in the form of Li3BO3 and LiBO2, and a mass ratio (Li3BO3/LiBO2) between Li3BO3 and LiBO2 is at least 0.005 and up to 10. Boron is contained in an amount of at least 0.011% by mass and up to 0.6% by mass relative to the entire amount of the positive electrode active material.

Abstract: A froth bubble moving speed measuring device includes a light source configured to illuminate an upper surface of a flotation tank, an imaging unit configured to capture at least a part of the upper surface of the flotation tank, and an arithmetic processing unit configured to calculate a moving speed of a froth bubble by calculating a moving distance of the froth bubble based on the image processed by the image processing unit.

Abstract: To provide a thick film resistor paste for a resistor having no abnormalities of cracks in appearance and sufficient surge resistance, especially for low resistance, while using lead borosilicate glass, a thick film resistor using the thick film resistor paste, and an electronic component provided with the thick film resistor. A thick film resistor paste comprises a ruthenium-oxide-containing glass powder and an organic vehicle, the ruthenium-oxide-containing glass powder comprises 10 to 60 mass % of ruthenium oxide, a glass composition of the ruthenium-oxide-containing glass powder comprises 60 mass % or less of silicon oxide, 30 to 90 mass % of lead oxide, 5 to 50 mass % of boron oxide relative to 100 mass % of glass components, and, a combined amount of silicon oxide, lead oxide and boron oxide by mass % is 50 mass % or more relative to 100 mass % of the glass components.

Abstract: A positive-electrode active material for a lithium-ion secondary battery, wherein an average pore size of the positive-electrode active material is 0.2 ?m to 1.0 ?m when a pore size is measured in a range of 0.0036 ?m to 400 ?m.

Abstract: A nickel composite hydroxide includes nickel, cobalt, manganese, and an element M with an atomic ratio of Ni:Co:Mn:M=1?x1?y1?z1:x1:y1:z1 (wherein M is at least one element selected from a group consisting of a transition metal element other than Ni, Co, Mn, a II group element, and a XIII group element, 0.15?0.25, 0.15?y1?0.25, 0?z1?0.1), the nickel composite hydroxide having a cobalt or manganese rich layer from a surface of a particle of the secondary particles toward an inside of the secondary particles and a layered low-density layer between the cobalt or manganese rich layer and a center of the particle of the secondary particles, and a thickness of the cobalt or manganese rich layer and low-density layer is 1% or more and 10% or less to a diameter of the secondary particles.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a positive electrode active material for a lithium ion secondary battery includes a mixing step of mixing a lithium-nickel composite oxide which is a starting material with a tungsten compound powder without lithium, while being heated, to prepare a tungsten mixture, and a heat treatment step of heat-treating the tungsten mixture. The lithium-nickel composite oxide contains lithium (Li), nickel (Ni), and an element M (M), wherein, the element M is at least one element selected from Mn, V, Mg, Mo, Nb, Ti, Co, and Al, wherein, in the starting material, a ratio of number of tungsten atoms to a total number of nickel atom and the element M atoms contained in the lithium-nickel composite oxide is 0.05 at. % or more and 3.00 at. % or less.

Abstract: The present invention is a treatment method for an alloy, the method being used for the purpose of obtaining a solution that contains nickel and/or cobalt from an alloy that contains nickel and/or cobalt and copper. This treatment method for an alloy comprises a leaching step in which the alloy is subjected to a leaching treatment by adding an acid solution to the alloy in the coexistence of a sulfurizing agent, thereby obtaining a leachate and a leaching residue; and in the leaching step, the leaching treatment is carried out while maintaining the copper concentration in the reaction solution within the range of 0.5 g/L to 15 g/L by adding a divalent copper ion source thereto. Moreover, in the leaching step, the leaching treatment is carried out while maintaining the redox potential of the reaction solution at 50 mV or more, using a silver/silver chloride electrode as a reference electrode.

Abstract: A bubble measurement device for measurement of bubbles moving in a liquid includes a measurement chamber having an image capturing surface; an image capturing device that captures an image of the bubbles passing along the image capturing surface; an introduction pipe that introduces the bubbles into the measurement chamber; a retaining tank that stores the liquid; a supply pump that draws up the liquid; a drain pipe that returns the liquid into the retaining tank; and a flow velocity adjusting mechanism that adjusts a flow velocity of the liquid passing along the image capturing surface. The flow velocity adjusting mechanism adjusts the flow velocity of the liquid passing along the image capturing surface to be within a range in which the bubbles are measurable. The range is obtained in advance in accordance with an image resolution and a shutter speed of the image capturing device.

Abstract: An adhesive layer is provided including composite tungsten oxide particles and/or tungsten oxide particles; a dispersant; a metal coupling agent including an amino group; an adhesive agent; and a cross-linking agent.

Abstract: Provided is a cathode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery that improves the cycling characteristic and high-temperature storability without impairing the charge/discharge capacity and the output characteristics. A nickel cobalt containing composite hydroxide is obtained by using a batch type crystallization method in which a raw material aqueous solution that includes Ni, Co and Mg is supplied in an inert atmosphere to a reaction aqueous solution that is controlled so that the temperature is within the range 45° C. to 55° C., the pH value is within the range 10.8 to 11.8 at a reference liquid temperature of 25° C., and the ammonium-ion concentration is within the range 8 g/L to 12 g/L. An Al-coated composite hydroxide that is expressed by the general formula: Ni1-x-y-zCoxAlyMgz(OH)2 (where, 0.05?x?0.20, 0.01?y?0.06, and 0.01?z?0.

Abstract: A positive electrode active material includes a lithium-nickel composite oxide particle and a coating layer. The particle has a crystal structure belonging to a space group R-3m, contains at least Li, Ni, an element M, and Nb, wherein Li:Ni:M:Nb=a:(1-x-y):x:y (0.98?a?1.15, 0<x?0.5, 0<y?0.03, 0<x+y?0.5, and the element M is at least one of Co, Al, Mn, Zr, Si, Zn, and Ti), has a crystallite diameter of 140 nm or less, and has an eluted lithium ion amount of 0.30% by mass or more and 1.00% by mass or less. The coating layer is a composite oxide containing Li and at least one of Al, Si, Ti, V, Ga, Ge, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ta, and W.

Abstract: The present invention provides an antimold emulsion coating material and an antimold fine particle dispersion which exhibit excellent antimold effects over an extended period even when exposed to a wet heat environment. The antimold emulsion coating material contains composite tungsten oxide fine particles whose surfaces are coated with a coating film containing at least one selected from hydrolysis products of metal chelate compounds, polymers of hydrolysis products of metal chelate compounds, hydrolysis products of metal cyclic oligomer compounds, and polymers of hydrolysis products of metal cyclic oligomer compounds (surface-treated composite tungsten oxide fine particles), and a resin emulsion.

Abstract: A method is provided which enables selectively leaching nickel and/or cobalt from an alloy that contains copper and nickel and/or cobalt in a waste lithium ion battery. This alloy processing method involves obtaining a solution that contains nickel and/or cobalt from an alloy that contains copper and nickel and/or cobalt, wherein the alloy processing method involves a leaching step for adding an acid solution to the alloy in a state in which a sulfurizing agent is also present, and obtaining a leachate and a leaching residue by performing leaching processing while controlling the redox potential (the reference electrode being a silver/silver chloride electrode) to at least 100 mV and less than 250 mV. In the leaching processing in the leaching step, an operation is performed that temporarily decreases the redox potential to less than or equal to ?100 mV.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a positive electrode active material for a lithium-ion secondary battery includes a water-washing step of washing a lithium-nickel composite oxide containing Li, Ni, and an element M with water, and conducting a filtration to form a washed-cake, a mixing step of mixing, while heating, the washed-cake and a tungsten compound without lithium while heating to obtain a tungsten mixture, and a heat treatment step of heat-treating the tungsten mixture, wherein a water content of the washed-cake is 3.0% by mass or more and 10.0% by mass or less, a ratio of a number of tungsten atoms contained in the tungsten mixture to a total number of nickel and the element M atoms contained in the lithium-nickel composite oxide is 0.05 at. % or more and 3.00 at. % or less, and a temperature of the mixing step is 30° C. or higher and 70° C. or lower.

Abstract: A positive electrode active material for a lithium ion secondary battery containing lithium composite oxide particles, the lithium composite oxide particles including lithium (Li), nickel (Ni), manganese (Mn), zirconium (Zr), and an additive element M (M) in an amount of substance ratio of Li:Ni:Mn:Zr:M=a:b:c:d:e, wherein 0.95?a?1.20, 0.70?b?0.98, 0.01?c?0.20, 0.0003?d?0.01, and 0.01?e?0.20, and the additive element M is one or more elements selected from Co, W, Mo, V, Mg, Ca, Al, Ti, and Ta, wherein, a unit lattice volume V (?3) determined from lattice constants a and c that are calculated from an X-ray diffraction pattern in the lithium composite oxide is 117.5 ?3 or more and 118.0 ?3 or less, and a ratio I(003)/I(104) of a peak strength I(003) of a (003) plane to a peak strength I(104) of a (104) plane is 1.70 or more.