US 12,000,018 B2
Method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt
Tatsuya Higaki, Niihama (JP); Hiroshi Takenouchi, Niihama (JP); Hiroshi Kobayashi, Niihama (JP); and Satoshi Asano, Niihama (JP)
Assigned to SUMITOMO METAL MINING CO., LTD., Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 16/648,826
Filed by SUMITOMO METAL MINING CO., LTD., Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Sep. 11, 2018, PCT No. PCT/JP2018/033682
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 19, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/082532, PCT Pub. Date May 2, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 2017-204696 (JP), filed on Oct. 23, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2020/0216327 A1, Jul. 9, 2020
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. C22B 3/44 (2006.01); C01G 3/12 (2006.01); C22B 3/00 (2006.01); C22B 3/08 (2006.01); C22B 7/00 (2006.01); C22B 15/00 (2006.01); H01M 10/0525 (2010.01); H01M 10/54 (2006.01)
CPC C22B 7/007 (2013.01) [C01G 3/12 (2013.01); C22B 3/08 (2013.01); C22B 3/44 (2013.01); C22B 15/0071 (2013.01); C22B 23/043 (2013.01); H01M 10/0525 (2013.01); H01M 10/54 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt, the method comprising:
producing an alloy containing copper metal, nickel metal, and cobalt metal in the form of an alloy powder;
adding a sulfurization agent to the alloy powder to establish a joint presence of the sulfurization agent and the alloy powder;
wherein the sulfurization agent is one or more selected from the group consisting of elemental sulfur, hydrogen sulfide gas, sodium hydrogen sulfide and sodium sulfide; and
bringing the alloy powder into contact with sulfuric acid in the joint presence, whereby the nickel metal and the cobalt metal are leached from the alloy powder and the copper metal contained in the alloy powder is sulfurized by the sulfurization agent to obtain a solid containing copper sulfide and a leachate containing the nickel existing as an ion and the cobalt existing as an ion.