Abstract: The present invention relates to the extraction of lithium from liquid resources such as natural and synthetic brines, leachate solutions from clays and minerals, and recycled products.

Abstract: A method for recycling a scrap material includes providing a sample having one or more components having a respective melting temperature, and heating the sample to a first melting point corresponding to a first component to form a molten first component, and separating the molten first component from the sample. A system for recycling scrap materials includes a housing component for a sample containing one or more components to be heated, and subsequently melted and separated. The system may include a microwave plasma source, and at least one collection mechanism corresponding to each separated molten component.

Abstract: The method may comprise receiving historical data (e.g., mineralogy data, irrigation data, raffinate data, heat data, lift height data, geographic data on ore placement and/or blower data); training a predictive model using the historical data to create a trained predictive model; adding future assumption data to the trained predictive model; running the forecast engine for a plurality of parameters to obtain forecast data for a mining production target; comparing the forecast data for the mining production target to the actual data for the mining production target; determining deviations between the forecast data and the actual data, based on the comparing; and changing each of the plurality of parameters from the forecast data to the actual data to determine a contribution to the deviations for each of the plurality of parameters.

Abstract: A method and an equipment for comprehensive utilization of niobite is disclosed. The method includes the following steps: S1. adding and uniformly mixing a coal-based reducing agent to the niobite, and subsequently reducing the mixture in a reduction furnace to obtain the selective reduction product; S2. adding the selective reduction product to a super-gravity reactor where the ambient temperature is controlled to be lower than the temperature at which the niobium oxide is reduced; driven by super-gravity, reverse migrating and collecting the metal iron and the niobium-rich slag at different locations in the reactor; discharging the metallic iron tightly attached to the wall of the reactor through an iron discharging port, and discharging the niobium-rich slag enriched to the inner layer of the reactor through a slag discharging port, so that the separation of the metallic iron and the niobium-rich slag is realized in the super-gravity field.

Abstract: Processes and systems for recovering metals from a lithium-ion battery waste stream include optionally conducting a leaching process to form a leachate stream, purifying the leachate stream in a first reactor to remove fluorine (F), phosphate (P), and one or more impurity metals selected from the group consisting of: copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), iron (Fe), and titanium (Ti), separating nickel (Ni), manganese (Mn), and cobalt (Co) from the purified filtrate liquid stream by passing the purified filtrate liquid stream into (i) a reactor for conducting a co-precipitation process by increasing pH or (ii) one or more chromatographic columns to generate an intermediate liquid stream comprising lithium (Li) and one or more recovered products comprising one or more of nickel (Ni), manganese (Mn), and cobalt (Co). The intermediate liquid stream can be introduced into a lithium precipitation reactor to precipitate at least one compound comprising lithium (Li).

Abstract: A process to recover nickel, cobalt and copper by co-processing copper-containing sulphide concentrate feed containing one or more of arsenic, antimony, and bismuth, and laterite ore feed containing nickel and cobalt by pressure oxidative leaching. The sulphide concentrate and oxygen are controlled to produce sulphuric acid to leach nickel, cobalt, copper and acid soluble impurities into a liquid phase of an acidic leach slurry, to precipitate iron compounds and a majority of the arsenic, antimony and bismuth as solids, and to produce heat to heat the incoming feeds to a temperature above 230° C. Reacted slurry is withdrawn, solids are separated, and the PLS solution contains the nickel, cobalt, copper and acid soluble impurities. A first solution purification stage on the PLS neutralizes free acid, precipitates one or more of iron, aluminum, chromium and silicon, and, separates as solids, the precipitated impurities and other solids from a first purified solution.

Abstract: A process for recovery of one or more elements, selected from precious metals and chalcophile metals as herein defined, from materials containing precious and/or chalcophile metal/s, said process including: (i) a leaching step comprising contacting the material with an acidic solution containing a lixiviant comprising an aqueous amino acid-thiourea compound formed from an amino acid (as herein defined) and thiourea (as herein defined), in order to form a leachate containing the precious metal and/or chalcophile metal; and (ii) a recovery step comprising recovering the precious metal and/or chalcophile metal from the leachate.

Abstract: In alternative embodiments, provided are processes and continuous ion exchange/continuous ion chromatography (CIX/CIC) systems for the separation of rare earth elements and non-rare earth elements, including metals, into individual high purity elements.

Abstract: The invention relates to a processing method of a battery pack that includes at least a battery body and a resin. The processing method includes a step of covering the battery pack with a slag that is at a predetermined temperature.

Abstract: The present invention concerns the recovery of cobalt from cobalt-bearing materials, in particular from cobalt-bearing lithium-ion secondary batteries, from the spent batteries, or from their scrap. A process is divulged for the recovery of cobalt from cobalt-bearing materials, comprising the steps of: providing a converter furnace, charging slag formers and one or more of copper matte, copper-nickel matte, and impure alloy into the furnace, and injecting an oxidizing gas so as to smelt the charge in oxidizing conditions, thereby obtaining a molten bath comprising a crude metal phase, and a cobalt-bearing slag, and separating the crude metal from the cobalt-bearing slag, characterized in that the cobalt-bearing materials are charged into the furnace. This process is particularly suitable for recycling cobalt-bearing lithium-ion secondary batteries.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for purifying and concentrating rare earths contained in phosphogypsum, characterised in that it comprises the following steps of: from a phosphogypsum, a) Leaching the phosphogypsum with a solution of one or more strong acid(s) selected from among: sulphuric acid, nitric acid and hydrochloric acid, in order to obtain a leaching mixture comprising a liquid phase formed by a leaching solution containing rare earths from the phosphogypsum and the leaching acid, and a solid phase comprising the phosphogypsum, b) Adding, to the phosphogypsum, an oxidising agent to promote passage of the rare earths from the phosphogypsum into the leaching solution, and/or a reducing agent to reduce solubility of mineral impurities contained in the leaching solution in order to allow their passage from the leaching solution into the solid phase, c) Separating the liquid phase enriched in rare earths and depleted in mineral impurities, and the solid phase enriched in mineral impurities.

Abstract: Various embodiments relate to several processes that may recover commodity chemicals from an alkaline metal-air battery. In various embodiments, while the cell is operating, various side products and waste streams may be collected and processed to regain use or additional value. Various embodiments also include processes to be performed after the cell has been disassembled, and each of its electrodes have been separated such as not to be an electrical hazard. The alkaline metal battery recycling processes described herein may provide multiple forms of commodity iron, high purity transition metal ores, fluoropolymer dispersions, various carbons, commodity chemicals, and catalyst dispersions.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for preferentially recovering manganese from waste lithium-rich manganese-based cathode material, the method comprising: step 1) calcination and leaching: mixing the waste lithium-rich manganese-based cathode material with ammonium sulfate and then performing low-temperature calcination, leaching the calcination product with water, and then performing solid-solution separation to obtain a leaching solution; step 2) complexing and manganese separating: adding ammonium sulfite to the leaching solution obtained in step 1) for a complex reaction to obtain manganese-rich residue; step 3) oxidation leaching: adding an oxidant to the manganese-rich residue obtained in step 2) to perform oxidation leaching, and adjusting the pH of the solution to obtain a manganese-rich solution; and step 4) extracting and stripping.

Abstract: A method for preparing a covetic, nanocarbon-infused, metal composite material is described is herein. The method comprises heating a stirring molten mixture of a metal (e.g., Cu, Al, Ag, Au, Fe, Ni, Pt, Sn, Pb, Zn, Si, and the like) and carbon (e.g., graphite) at a temperature sufficient to maintain the mixture in the molten state in a reactor vessel, while passing an electric current through the molten mixture via at least two spaced electrodes submerged or partially submerged in the molten metal. Each of the electrodes has an electrical conductivity that is at least about 50 percent of the electrical conductivity of the molten mixture at the temperature of the molten mixture. Preferably, the conductivity of the electrodes is equal to or greater than the conductivity of the molten mixture.

Abstract: In one aspect, the disclosure relates to a microwave-assisted comminution method for achieving more efficient beneficiation and later hydrometallurgical recovery of rare earth elements and other metals from coal fly ash particles. The method requires only a short processing time, is energy efficient, allows for better process control, and is environmentally advantageous compared to current methods. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

Abstract: A coaxial dual supersonic oxygen flow cluster oxygen lance comprises an inner layer circular-hole supersonic nozzle assembly, an outer layer water-cooled casting assembly, and a middle layer annular-hole supersonic nozzle assembly arranged between the inner layer circular-hole supersonic nozzle assembly and the outer layer water-cooled casting assembly, wherein the circular-hole supersonic assembly generates a first beam of supersonic oxygen jets and the annular-hole supersonic assembly generates a second beam of supersonic oxygen jets surrounding the first beam of supersonic oxygen jets; and the second beam of supersonic oxygen jets and the first beam of supersonic oxygen jets are in the same direction, and the two beams of supersonic oxygen jets are independently supplied with gas, and are independently adjusted.

Abstract: A system for reducing ore includes a hydrogen supply unit configured to supply hydrogen, a furnace configured to reduce the ore using the supplied hydrogen, and a hydrogen recovery unit configured to recover hydrogen from an exhaust gas that is exhausted from the furnace.

Abstract: Disclosed are an unblocking apparatus for a furnace discharging pipe and a use method. The unblocking apparatus includes a rail, a rail car that may move along the rail, an unblocking drive mechanism arranged on the rail car, a heat-unblocking component, a cold-unblocking component, and a material receiving component that is used to receive a blocking material in the discharging pipe, and a drive end of the unblocking drive mechanism is detachably connected with one end of the heat-unblocking component and the cold-unblocking component respectively. The present application effectively handles different blockage situations of the furnace discharging pipe by connecting the unblocking drive mechanism with an unblocking rod capable of heat-unblocking and a drilling rod capable of cold-unblocking, thereby two modes of heat-unblocking and cold-unblocking are performed on the furnace discharging pipe; and the discharging pipe may be unblocked by a remote operation.

Abstract: Provided is a more efficient dry refining process for improving the recovery rate of phosphorus-free valuable metals from waste lithium ion batteries. The present invention provides a method for recovering valuable metals from waste lithium ion batteries, said method comprises a melting step S4 for melting the waste lithium ion batteries and obtaining a molten substance and a slag separation step S5 for separating slag from the molten substance and recovering an alloy containing valuable metals, wherein in the melting step, flux containing a calcium compound is added to the waste lithium ion batteries such that the mass ratio between silicon dioxide and calcium oxide in the slag becomes 0.50 or less and the mass ratio between calcium oxide and aluminum oxide falls in the range of 0.30 to 2.00.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for recycling used lithium batteries containing the steps: (a) digestion of comminuted material (10), which contains comminuted components of electrodes of lithium batteries, using concentrated sulphuric acid (12) at a digestion temperature (TA) of at least 100° C., in particular at least 140° C., so that waste gas (14) and a digestion material (16) are produced, (b) discharge of the waste gas (14) and (c) wet chemical extraction of at least one metallic component of the digestion material (16).