US 12,266,771 B2
Method for separating transition metal from waste positive electrode material
Won Sig Jung, Daejeon (KR); Tae Young Rhee, Daejeon (KR); and Hwan Young Choi, Daejeon (KR)
Assigned to LG Chem, Ltd., Seoul (KR)
Appl. No. 17/608,904
Filed by LG Chem, Ltd., Seoul (KR)
PCT Filed Dec. 15, 2020, PCT No. PCT/KR2020/018324
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 4, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/125735, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 24, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 10-2019-0168318 (KR), filed on Dec. 16, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0320617 A1, Oct. 6, 2022
Int. Cl. H01M 10/54 (2006.01); C01D 15/02 (2006.01)
CPC H01M 10/54 (2013.01) [C01D 15/02 (2013.01); C01P 2002/72 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
 
1. A method for separating a transition metal from a waste positive electrode material, the method comprising:
step 1 of preparing a waste positive electrode material represented by Formula 1 below;
step 2 of heat treating the waste positive electrode material in an inert gas atmosphere or an oxygen atmosphere to phase separate the waste positive electrode material into a lithium oxide and a metal oxide to form an obtained product;
step 3 of cooling the obtained product of the step 2 to room temperature in an inert atmosphere to form a cooled product; and
step 4 of mixing the cooled product cooled to room temperature in the step 3 with distilled water to form a mixture, and then filtering the mixture to leach a transition metal:
Li1+aNi1−xMxO2  [Formula 1]
wherein in Formula 1 above,
M is one or more selected from the group consisting of Co, Mn, and Al, and 0≤a≤0.3, and 0≤x≤0.5.