Sumitomo Metal Mining: Recovery of cobalt from Li-ion batteries-operation of a pilot plant
Sumitomo Metal Mine:
We have developed a new process to recover and recycle copper, nickel and cobalt from used lithium ion secondary batteries or intermediates generated during their production process.
Recently developed process:
Impurities in the lithium ion secondary battery are separated at once by a dry smelting process independent of the existing process, and nickel, cobalt and copper are selectively recovered as an alloy.
Next, nickel and cobalt are recycled as battery materials and copper is recycled as electric copper by melting and refining the alloy by hydrometallurgical process.
In order to demonstrate this new recycling process, dry and wet smelting pilot plants started operation in March 2019 in Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture.
http://www.smm.co.jp/news/release/2019/03/post-1571.html
http://www.smm.co.jp/news/release/uploaded_files/20190328_J.pdf