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Selective leaching of lithium from spent lithium-ion batteries using sulfuric acid and oxalic acid

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Abstract

Traditional hydrometallurgical methods for recovering spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) involve acid leaching to simultaneously extract all valuable metals into the leachate. These methods usually are followed by a series of separation steps such as precipitation, extraction, and stripping to separate the individual valuable metals. In this study, we present a process for selectively leaching lithium through the synergistic effect of sulfuric and oxalic acids. Under optimal leaching conditions (leaching time of 1.5 h, leaching temperature of 70°C, liquid-solid ratio of 4 mL/g, oxalic acid ratio of 1.3, and sulfuric acid ratio of 1.3), the lithium leaching efficiency reached 89.6%, and the leaching efficiencies of Ni, Co, and Mn were 12.8%, 6.5%, and 21.7%. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) analyses showed that most of the Ni, Co, and Mn in the raw material remained as solid residue oxides and oxalates. This study offers a new approach to enriching the relevant theory for selectively recovering lithium from spent LIBs.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the Young Scientists Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 52104395 and 52304365), the Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangzhou, China (Nos. 202102021080 and 2024A04J10006), the National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2021YFC2902605), the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province, China (Nos. 2023A1515030145 and 2023A1515011847).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Advanced Wear & Corrosion Resistant and Functional Materials, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China

    Haijun Yu & Xiaohui Tu

  2. Institute of Resources Utilization and Rare Earth Development, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, China

    Haijun Yu, Dongxing Wang, Shuai Rao, Lijuan Duan, Cairu Shao, Zhiyuan Ma, Hongyang Cao & Zhiqiang Liu

  3. State Key Laboratory of Separation and Comprehensive Utilization of Rare Metals, Guangzhou, 510650, China

    Haijun Yu, Dongxing Wang, Shuai Rao, Lijuan Duan, Cairu Shao, Zhiyuan Ma, Hongyang Cao & Zhiqiang Liu

  4. Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Development and Application, Guangzhou, 510650, China

    Haijun Yu, Dongxing Wang, Shuai Rao, Lijuan Duan, Cairu Shao, Zhiyuan Ma, Hongyang Cao & Zhiqiang Liu

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  1. Haijun Yu
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Yu, H., Wang, D., Rao, S. et al. Selective leaching of lithium from spent lithium-ion batteries using sulfuric acid and oxalic acid. Int J Miner Metall Mater 31, 688–696 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-023-2741-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-023-2741-3

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