An acid-free process to prepare battery grade nickel and cobalt sulfates from complex resources
Abstract Nickel sulfate is a critical compound for lithium-ion batteries, mainly prepared from nickel sulfide concentrate (NSC). Typically, high-temperature smelting or high-pressure leaching is required to achieve high extraction rates for Ni and Co. Here, we demonstrate an acid-free atmospheric le...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59995-6 |
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| author | Qing Zhang Xiaohong Zheng Weiguang Lv Mingming He Wenyi Yan Wenfang Gao Pengge Ning Hongbin Cao Zhi Sun |
| author_facet | Qing Zhang Xiaohong Zheng Weiguang Lv Mingming He Wenyi Yan Wenfang Gao Pengge Ning Hongbin Cao Zhi Sun |
| author_sort | Qing Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Nickel sulfate is a critical compound for lithium-ion batteries, mainly prepared from nickel sulfide concentrate (NSC). Typically, high-temperature smelting or high-pressure leaching is required to achieve high extraction rates for Ni and Co. Here, we demonstrate an acid-free atmospheric leaching process for effectively processing of NSC using a mechanochemical treatment. When a suitable intermediate phase of the NSC is obtained, the leaching efficiency for Ni and Co can reach 97.4% and 98.8%, respectively, while the main impure element, iron, almost remains in the solid phase. As a consequence, the leaching solution can be easily treated to prepare battery-grade NiSO4. A technoeconomic analysis demonstrates that the acid-free process provides excellent economic advantages, with carbon emissions being reduced by 59.5%. This provides a sustainable alternative for processing complex sulfide resources and is expected to be applied to zinc and copper sulfide concentrates. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c87e7ed113264e20ba2848948cb1fe57 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-c87e7ed113264e20ba2848948cb1fe572025-08-20T02:29:26ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-05-0116111110.1038/s41467-025-59995-6An acid-free process to prepare battery grade nickel and cobalt sulfates from complex resourcesQing Zhang0Xiaohong Zheng1Weiguang Lv2Mingming He3Wenyi Yan4Wenfang Gao5Pengge Ning6Hongbin Cao7Zhi Sun8School of Chemical Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of SciencesNational Engineering Research Center of green recycling for strategic metal resources, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of SciencesNational Engineering Research Center of green recycling for strategic metal resources, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of SciencesNational Engineering Research Center of green recycling for strategic metal resources, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of SciencesNational Engineering Research Center of green recycling for strategic metal resources, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of SciencesSchool of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Hebei University of TechnologyNational Engineering Research Center of green recycling for strategic metal resources, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of SciencesSchool of Chemical Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of SciencesSchool of Chemical Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of SciencesAbstract Nickel sulfate is a critical compound for lithium-ion batteries, mainly prepared from nickel sulfide concentrate (NSC). Typically, high-temperature smelting or high-pressure leaching is required to achieve high extraction rates for Ni and Co. Here, we demonstrate an acid-free atmospheric leaching process for effectively processing of NSC using a mechanochemical treatment. When a suitable intermediate phase of the NSC is obtained, the leaching efficiency for Ni and Co can reach 97.4% and 98.8%, respectively, while the main impure element, iron, almost remains in the solid phase. As a consequence, the leaching solution can be easily treated to prepare battery-grade NiSO4. A technoeconomic analysis demonstrates that the acid-free process provides excellent economic advantages, with carbon emissions being reduced by 59.5%. This provides a sustainable alternative for processing complex sulfide resources and is expected to be applied to zinc and copper sulfide concentrates.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59995-6 |
| spellingShingle | Qing Zhang Xiaohong Zheng Weiguang Lv Mingming He Wenyi Yan Wenfang Gao Pengge Ning Hongbin Cao Zhi Sun An acid-free process to prepare battery grade nickel and cobalt sulfates from complex resources Nature Communications |
| title | An acid-free process to prepare battery grade nickel and cobalt sulfates from complex resources |
| title_full | An acid-free process to prepare battery grade nickel and cobalt sulfates from complex resources |
| title_fullStr | An acid-free process to prepare battery grade nickel and cobalt sulfates from complex resources |
| title_full_unstemmed | An acid-free process to prepare battery grade nickel and cobalt sulfates from complex resources |
| title_short | An acid-free process to prepare battery grade nickel and cobalt sulfates from complex resources |
| title_sort | acid free process to prepare battery grade nickel and cobalt sulfates from complex resources |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59995-6 |
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