A concern of users and manufacturers Lithium Iron batteries (LIB) is maximizing the recycling process to recover the strategically important cobalt and nickel with an empahsis on more complete recovery of cobalt and nickel at higher purity and value. Currently, the recovered LIB recycle black mass (filter cake) is substantially discounted due to the many other elements and impurities (carbon, manganese, copper, iron, phosphate, organic binder, and aluminum). American Hyperform (AH) has successfully developed a low-cost process for recovering high purity (95%) combined cobalt/nickel as the hydroxide/oxide directly from commercial LIB black mass. With 15 year experience in lithium and other commercial battery recycling to achieve this success, American Hyperform is addressing optimization of this process - proceeding to commercial pilot plant level and commercialization. Process is compatible with current LIB recycling facilities which now isolate the recycled LIB black mass (discounted compared to the market value of cobalt and nickel). The effort is to have this new high purity cobalt/ nickel hydroxide oxide have a higher value than the present discounted value of the cobalt/nickel in the black mass to ensure maximum retention of these two critical materials for US commercial and defense needs. Process removes most of the diluting MnO2, and all of the anode carbon - separately yielding high purity cobalt/nickel hydroxide/oxide for direct use in aerospace high alloys industry.
