Systems and methods for cobalt recovery

Abstract

Various embodiments provide a method comprising producing a cobalt hydroxide bearing material, leaching the cobalt hydroxide hearing material to form a slurry, filtering the slurry to yield solids and a cobalt bearing liquid phase, performing a solution extraction of the cobalt bearing liquid phase to yield a purified cobalt bearing liquid phase, conditioning a first portion of the purified cobalt bearing liquid phase to yield a conditioned cobalt bearing solution and, electrowinning the conditioned cobalt bearing solution to yield cobalt metal.

1 . A method comprising:
 producing a cobalt hydroxide bearing material;   leaching the cobalt hydroxide bearing material to form a slurry;   filtering the slurry to yield solids and a cobalt bearing liquid phase;   performing a solution extraction of the cobalt bearing liquid phase to yield a purified cobalt bearing liquid phase;   conditioning a first portion of the purified cobalt bearing liquid phase to yield a conditioned cobalt bearing solution; and   electrowinning the conditioned cobalt bearing solution to yield cobalt metal.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the electrowinning comprises a bagged anode process. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the electrowinning comprises a free anode process. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the electrowinning comprises depositing cobalt metal rounds on a masked cathode. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising
 precipitating cobalt gypsum by adding lime to a second portion of the purified cobalt bearing liquid phase;   recycling the cobalt gypsum to the leaching to aid in the filtering.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the conditioning comprises elution through a carbon column. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the conditioning further comprises a copper ion exchange. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the conditioning further comprises a nickel ion exchange. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising recycling electrolyte from the electrowinning to the leaching. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the cobalt hydroxide bearing material is formed by precipitating cobalt II with magnesia. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the cobalt hydroxide is formed by precipitating cobalt II with lime. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the solids are forwarded to a second leaching operation. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the second leaching operation is part of a copper leaching operation. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the solution extraction of the cobalt bearing liquid phase is selective for removing at least one of zinc, manganese and calcium. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the solids are forwarded to a second leaching operation is a cobalt leaching operation. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the second leaching operation comprises a cobalt leaching operation. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the second leaching operation further comprises a copper leaching operation. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the conditioning comprises copper solution extraction.