Processes for recycling spent catalysts, recycling rechargeable batteries, and integrated processes thereof

Abstract

Integrated recycling method and processes including recycling spent catalyst to produce one or more water-soluble metal salts and one or more water-insoluble tail byproducts, and recycling rechargeable batteries to produce one or more battery-grade metals and one or more pure metallic byproducts, wherein the water insoluble tail byproduct is a feedstock in recycling the rechargeable batteries, the impure metallic byproduct is a feedstock in recycling the spent catalyst, or both.

1 . An integrated recycling method comprising:
 recycling spent catalyst to produce one or more water-soluble metal salts and one or more water-insoluble tail byproducts; and   recycling rechargeable batteries to produce one or more battery-grade metals and one or more impure metallic byproducts, wherein the water insoluble tail byproduct is a feedstock in recycling the rechargeable batteries, and the impure metallic byproduct is a feedstock in recycling the spent catalyst, or both.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the spent catalyst includes a residue desulfurization catalyst (RDS), hydrodesulfurization catalyst (HDS), or both. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more water soluble metal oxides include high grade vanadium pentoxide, high grade molybdenum trioxide, or both. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more insoluble metallic tail byproducts includes an alumina tail. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the battery grade metals include one or more of lithium carbonate, nickel sulfate, manganese oxide, or cobalt sulfate. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more impure metallic byproducts includes low-grade vanadium, low-grade molybdenum, or both. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein recycling the spent catalyst further comprises:
 pretreating the spent catalyst to form a pretreated spent catalyst;   blending the pretreated spent catalyst with sodium carbonate to form a blend;   calcining the blend to form a calcine including one or more water-soluble metals;   leaching the calcine to form an overflow including a first strong solution including the one or more water-soluble metals and an underflow including the one or more insoluble metallic tail byproducts;   drying the one or more insoluble metallic tail byproducts; and   blending the dried one or more insoluble metallic tail byproducts with lime and coke prior to being fed to the recycling of the rechargeable batteries.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein recycling the spent catalyst further comprises:
 treating the first strong solution with one or more precipitating agents to remove impurities to from a purified strong solution; and   recovering one or more water-soluble metal oxides from the purified strong solution via a vanadium recovery circuit, a molybdenum recovery circuit, or both.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein recycling the rechargeable batteries further comprises:
 producing a metal alloy including nickel, cobalt, and other metal materials via pyrometallurgical processing of small form rechargeable batteries and the one or more insoluble metallic tail byproducts; and   purifying the metal alloy into a purified metal alloy including nickel and cobalt and removing one or more of the other metal materials as impure metallic byproducts prior to being fed to the recycling of the spent catalyst.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein recycling the rechargeable batteries further comprises:
 producing a black mass from large form rechargeable batteries; and   producing the one or more battery grade metals via hydrometallurgical processing of the black mass and the purified metal alloy.   
     
     
         11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . A rechargeable battery recycling process comprising:
 processing a combination of black mass and a nickel-cobalt alloy through a nickel-cobalt recovery circuit of a hydrometallurgical process to recover one or more first battery grade metals;   processing the combination of black mass and nickel-cobalt alloy through a lithium recovery circuit of the hydrometallurgical process to recover one or more second battery grade metals, wherein the nickel-cobalt recovery circuit and the lithium recovery circuit share an initial integrated step wherein lithium is pre-leached.   
     
     
         13 . The rechargeable battery recycling process of  claim 12 , further comprising a nickel recovery loop integrated with both the nickel-cobalt recovery circuit and the lithium recovery circuit. 
     
     
         14 . The rechargeable battery recycling process of  claim 12 , further comprising processing rechargeable batteries and alumina tails via a pyrometallurgical process for producing the nickel-cobalt alloy. 
     
     
         15 . The rechargeable battery recycling process of  claim 14 , further comprising: producing an aluminum byproduct, an iron byproduct, or both, via the nickel-cobalt recovery circuit and recycling the aluminum byproduct, the iron byproduct, or both back to the pyrometallurgical process for producing calcium aluminate slag. 
     
     
         16 . A spent catalyst recycling process comprising:
 pretreating a spent catalyst to form a pretreated spent catalyst;   blending the pretreated spent catalyst with sodium carbonate to form a blend;   calcining the blend to form a calcine including one or more water-soluble metals;   leaching the calcine to form an overflow including a strong solution including the one or more water-soluble metals and an underflow including the one or more insoluble metallic tail byproducts;   treating the strong solution with one or more precipitating agents to remove impurities to from a purified strong solution; and   recovering one or more water-soluble metal oxides from the purified strong solution via a vanadium recovery circuit, a molybdenum recovery circuit, or both.   
     
     
         17 . The process of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 drying the one or more insoluble metallic tail byproducts;   blending the dried one or more insoluble metallic tail byproducts with lime and coke; and   processing the blend of the one or more insoluble metallic tail byproducts, lime, and coke via pyrometallurgical processes to produce a nickel-cobalt alloy suitable for further processing via a rechargeable battery recycling process.   
     
     
         18 . The process of  claim 17 , wherein:
 the spent catalyst includes a residue desulfurization catalyst (RDS), hydrodesulfurization catalyst (HDS), or both;   the one or more water soluble metal oxides include high grade vanadium pentoxide, high grade molybdenum trioxide, or both; and   the one or more insoluble metallic tail byproducts includes an alumina tail.