Recovery of Cathode Copper and Ternary Precursors from Cus Slag Derived by Waste Lithium-Ion Batteries: Process Analysis and Evaluation

Abstract

The efficient and environmentally friendly recycling technology of waste residue that including abundant heavy metal produced during the recovery of lithium batteries has become a research hotspot. Herein, a novelty process of acid leaching–selective electro-precipitation–deep impurity removal–regeneration was proposed to recovery of the CuS slag, which has been efficient transferred to high purity cathode copper and commercially available ternary precursors. Cathode copper with purity of 99.67% was prepared when the condition of -0.55 V and 2 h. An innovative impurity remover–Mn powder was used to remove residual impurities, which act as the raw materials to regenerate the ternary precursor NCM523. The process is superior to the traditional process in economy, energy consumption, CO2 emissions, product purity and process duration. This study provides a new approach for solid waste recovery and precious metal enrichment.

Keywords: CuS slag, Electrodeposition, Cathode copper, Ternary precursor