Precipitation and Crystallization Used in the Production of Metal Salts for Li-Ion Battery Materials: A Review

• Main Authors: Yiqian Ma, Michael Svärd, Xiong Xiao, James M. Gardner, Richard T. Olsson, Kerstin Forsberg
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-11-01
• Series: Metals
• Subjects: precipitation; crystallization; metal salts; Li-ion batteries; recycling; hydrometallurgy
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4701/10/12/1609

Li-ion battery materials have been widely studied over the past decades. The metal salts that serve as starting materials for cathode and production, including Li₂CO₃, NiSO₄, CoSO₄ and MnSO₄, are mainly produced using hydrometallurgical processes. In hydrometallurgy, aqueous precipitation and crystallization are important unit operations. Precipitation is mainly used in the processes of impurity removal, separation and preliminary production, while controlled crystallization can be very important to produce a pure product that separates well from the liquid solution. Precipitation and crystallization are often considered in the development of sustainable technologies, and there is still room for applying novel techniques. This review focuses on precipitation and crystallization applied to the production of metal salts for Li-ion battery materials. A number of novel and promising precipitation and crystallization methods, including eutectic freeze crystallization, antisolvent crystallization, and homogeneous precipitation are discussed. Finally, the application of precipitation and crystallization techniques in hydrometallurgical recycling processes for Li-ion batteries are reviewed.