Utilizing Molten Salt Bath Patents (Class 75/402)
  • Patent number: 11273453
    Abstract: An apparatus for carrying out size reduction of battery materials under immersion conditions can include a housing configured to hold an immersion liquid comprising at least one of sodium hydroxide and calcium hydroxide. A first feed chute may define an opening therein for receiving battery materials of a first type into the housing and a first submergible comminuting device may be disposed within the housing and submerged in the immersion liquid to receive the battery materials of the first type from the first feed chute. The first submergible comminuting device may be configured to cause a size reduction of the battery materials of the first type to form a first reduced-size battery material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: Li-Cycle Corp.
    Inventors: Ajay Kochhar, Timothy George Johnston
  • Patent number: 11248278
    Abstract: The present disclosure is related to the recovery of metal(s) using molten salt and related systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: Phoenix Tailings, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas Anthony Villalon, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8858677
    Abstract: A valuable-substance recovery method according to the present invention includes: a solvent peeling step (S3) of dissolving a resin binder included in an electrode material by immersing crushed pieces of a lithium secondary battery into a solvent, so as to peel off the electrode material containing valuable substances from a metal foil constituting the electrode; a filtering step (S4) of filtering a suspension of the solvent, so as to separate and recover the electrode material containing the valuable substances and a carbon material; a heat treatment step (S5) of heating the recovered electrode material containing the valuable substances and the carbon material, under an oxidative atmosphere, so as to burn and remove the carbon material; and a reducing reaction step (S6) of immersing the resultant electrode material containing the valuable substances into a molten salt of lithium chloride containing metal lithium, so as to perform a reducing reaction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiya Kakuta, Seiichiro Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 8308843
    Abstract: A method and a device using pyrolysis for recycling used printed circuit board in which water (moisture) is introduced in the pyrolysis process and a fully sealed low pressure environment is established to ensure that no combustion happens in the pyrolysis process to enhance the safety of the process; pyrolysis gases generated in the process are concentrated and purified to provide useful fuels or chemical materials; therefore, the present invention can reduce process cost, improve recycling efficiency and provide processing device with high safety, thereby enhancing industry usability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Inventor: Hsieh-Sen Wu
  • Patent number: 8282703
    Abstract: A method for recovering at least one rare earth element from a phosphor is presented. The method includes a halogenation step (a) and a reduction step (b). The phosphor is first halogenated in a molten salt to convert at least one rare earth constituent contained therein to a soluble rare earth halide. Then, the rare earth halide in the molten salt can be reduced, to convert the rare earth halide to a rare earth element in its elemental state. A method for individually recovering multiple rare earth elements from a phosphor is also presented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Karthick Vilapakkam Gourishankar, Alok Mani Srivastava, Prasanth Kumar Nammalwar, Satya Kishore Manepalli
  • Patent number: 8268267
    Abstract: A process is disclosed for separation and recovery of vanadium, molybdenum, iron, tungsten, cobalt and nickel from alumina-based materials, mattes, ores, manufacturing by-products and waste. These elements are oxidized. The oxides are reacted with gaseous HCl to form volatile chloride-bearing compounds that subsequently sublimate. The volatile compounds are condensed in a downward-stepped thermal gradient that allows collection of moderate to high purity compounds of individual elements with exception of a nickel-cobalt co-condensate. Nickel is separated from cobalt by precipitation of nickel chloride from concentrated HCl pressurized with gaseous HCl.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Metals Recovery Technology Inc.
    Inventor: Joseph L. Thomas
  • Patent number: 8002872
    Abstract: The invention provides efficient and effective processes for recovering metals such as aluminum, magnesium and lithium from mixed waste sources such as auto shredder residue, aluminum cans, waste particles of aluminum alloy and municipal waste. The metal-waste source is dissolved in a more noble metal solvent at a temperature at which contaminants do not dissolve. The purified metal is then recovered from the solvent, preferably by electrorefining.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Carbontech, LLC
    Inventor: Paul R. Kruesi
  • Patent number: 7951222
    Abstract: The invention relates in particular to a method for the recovery of at least one non-ferrous metal (11) contained in scrap (9), by melting the scrap (9) in a furnace (1), the method comprising: a step of charging the furnace (1) with scrap (9), a step of melting the scrap (9) in order to separate the at least one non-ferrous metal (11) from other components (13) which the scrap (9) comprises. The method is noteworthy in that it comprises a step of adding a silica-comprising product (15) in an amount which is sufficient to form an airtight layer on the surface of the scrap (9).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Inventor: Jean Armabessaire
  • Publication number: 20090229413
    Abstract: A valuable-substance recovery method according to the present invention includes: a solvent peeling step (S3) of dissolving a resin binder included in an electrode material by immersing crushed pieces of a lithium secondary battery into a solvent, so as to peel off the electrode material containing valuable substances from a metal foil constituting the electrode; a filtering step (S4) of filtering a suspension of the solvent, so as to separate and recover the electrode material containing the valuable substances and a carbon material; a heat treatment step (S5) of heating the recovered electrode material containing the valuable substances and the carbon material, under an oxidative atmosphere, so as to burn and remove the carbon material; and a reducing reaction step (S6) of immersing the resultant electrode material containing the valuable substances into a molten salt of lithium chloride containing metal lithium, so as to perform a reducing reaction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2006
    Publication date: September 17, 2009
    Applicant: KAWASAKI PLANT SYSTEMS KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshiya Kakuta, Seiichiro Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 6755887
    Abstract: A metal-inorganic particle composite material is heated into a melt. Flux is thrown into the melt, and both the melt and the flux are brought into contact with each other sufficiently. The resulting melt is then left at rest so as to be separated into an upper layer containing inorganic particles a and a lower layer composed of metal. Subsequently the upper layer and the lower layer are recovered individually.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2004
    Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Katsumata, Eiji Murofushi, Tatsuya Kato