Sumitomo Metal Mining: High-purity rare metal recovery: Reused for LiB positive electrode
Sumitomo Metal Mining:
August 16th
From abandoned LiB
By recovering and purifying nickel and cobalt,
Announced that it can be reused as a raw material for positive electrode materials for LiB.
Unique lithium recovery technology:
Furthermore, with our unique lithium recovery technology,
Recycling copper, nickel, cobalt, and lithium from used secondary batteries,
Established a new recycling process for the first time in the world.
Actual machine in operation in 2023:
We will promote the commercialization of this technology and start operating the actual machine by the end of 2023.
Demand for nickel and cobalt is expanding due to the shift to EVs in automobiles,
This will lead to horizontal recycling of secondary batteries.
Specialty paper “Daily Sangyo Shimbun”
https://www.japanmetal.com/news-h20210817109761.html
Success in Demonstration Experiments for Secondary Battery Recycling Technology That Includes Cobalt Recovery
– Establishment of a World-First New Recycling Process That Integrates Production of Soluble Slag That Enables Lithium Recovery –
August 16, 2021
Sumitomo Metal Mining Co.,
SMM has verified that nickel and cobalt from secondary batteries such as used lithium ion batteries (LIB) can be reused as a raw material for cathode material of LIBs through recovery and purification.
Additionally, through our world-first original lithium recovery technology,
we have established a new recycling process that is able to recycle
copper,
nickel,
cobalt and
lithium
from used secondary batteries.
News | Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd.
https://www.smm.co.jp/en/news/release/2021/08/001473.html
Now, we have optimized processes at this pilot plant,
and have been successful in the recovery of a high-purity nickel-cobalt mixture by stably and efficiently separating out the impurities in used secondary batteries.
Moreover, we manufactured and evaluated LIB cathode material that we made from the nickel-cobalt mixture.
We were able to verify that
the performance of those batteries was equivalent to that of batteries manufactured using existing raw materials derived from natural resources.
Additionally, we were successful in
producing a soluble slag that enables lithium recovery by pyrometallurgical smelting processes which has heretofore been difficult.
Through integration of this world-first original technology into our processes,
we have established a new recycling process that is able to recycle copper, nickel, cobalt and lithium from used secondary batteries.
This technology and process
were also developed to aim the resource recovery rate for used secondary batteries laid out in the European Commission’s proposal for a battery regulation that was proposed in December 2020.
Success in Demonstration Experiments for Secondary Battery Recycling Technology That Includes Cobalt Recovery
– Establishment of a World-First New Recycling Process That Integrates Production of Soluble Slag That Enables Lithium Recovery –
Moving forward, we estimate that the electrification of automobiles is going to further
If we are able to commercialize this process, which has verified “battery to battery” recycling,
we expect to be able to take the domestic sustainable circular economy to the next level
and to make contributions to resource recycling in response to global resource depletion.
Moving forward, through our battery recycling initiatives,
SMM will continue to engage in
the realization of becoming “a company that generates resources through high technological capabilities” laid out in the “Effective Use of Non-Ferrous Metal Resources” material issue of our “Vision for 2030.”
https://www.smm.co.jp/en/news/release/uploaded_files/20210816_EN.pdf