Acid leaching of mixed spent Li-ion batteries

Acid leaching for different types of mixed spent Li-ion mobile batteries is carried out after alkali decomposition using NH4OH followed by H2SO4 + H2O2 leaching. In the alkali decomposition step, the effects of reaction time, NH4OH concentration, liquid/solid mass ratio and reaction temperature on the decomposition process are investigated to remove Al, Cu, Mn, Ni, Co, and Li. After alkaline treatment, the alkali paste is treated to leach the remaining metals using H2SO4 + H2O2. The significant effects of reaction time, acid concentration, H2O2 concentration, liquid/solid mass ratios and reaction temperature on the leaching rate are studied. More than 97% of Al, Mn, Ni, Co, and Li and about 65% Cu are leached in two stages. Kinetic analysis shows that, the data fit with chemical reaction control mechanism and the activation energies for the investigated metals using the Arrhenius equation ranged from 30.1 to 41.4 kJ/mol. Recovered metals are precipitated from the leaching liquor at varying pH values using NaOH solution and Na2CO3. Firstly, Mn is precipitated as MnCO3 at pH = 7.5. Secondly, at pH = 9.0, nickel is precipitated as NiCO3. Thirdly, as the pH of the leaching liquor reaches 11–12, Co(OH)2 is precipitated and the remaining Li is readily precipitated as Li2CO3 using a saturated Na2CO3 solution. Based on the experimental data, a flow sheet is developed and tested for the recovery process.