30stages mixer-settler counter-current system for lithium,nickel, cobalt recycling
2026-04-03
I. Project Background and Industry Pain PointsWith the explosive growth of the new energy vehicle industry, the volume of retired ternary lithium batteries (NCM/NCA) has surged dramatically. Battery recycling enterprises face three major technical bottlenecks when processing the leachate from these retired batteries:Poor Separation: Traditional extraction columns require 8–12 hours to complete a single-stage separation and are prone to forming emulsion layers; this results in lithium recovery rates of less than 85% and cobalt/nickel purity levels of only 92%.Massive Solvent Consumption: Each ton of leachate requires the consumption of 1.5 tons of P507 extractant. With a solvent recovery rate of only 60%, annual hazardous waste disposal costs exceed 30 million RMB.Escalating Environmental Pressures: The distillation process generates high-concentration organic wastewater (COD > 15,000 mg/L), incurring biochemical treatment costs as high as 400 RMB per ton, while also posing a risk of VOCs volatilization and pollution.To overcome these technical bottlenecks, Company C introduced our 1L PP-material mixer settler, establishing a 30-stage series counter-current extraction system to achieve a "green upgrade" in the resource recovery of lithium, cobalt, and nickel.
II. Equipment Technical Characteristics and Process Design1. Core Equipment ParametersMaterial Advantages: Utilizing an integrated polypropylene (PP) molding process, the cell body has not welds or bonded joints. It withstands extreme environments across a pH range of 0–14 and operates stably over the long term within sulfuric acid systems (pH≤1) and corrosive organic solvent environments.
Structural Innovation: Each single cell integrates a dual-chamber design comprising a "mixing chamber" and a "clarification chamber." The mixing chamber is equipped with a low-speed agitator (50-150 rpm) ,and it generates a highly turbulent flow field by a spiral baffle, thereby increasing the contact surface area between the organic and aqueous phases by a factor of five. The clarification chamber employs a 15°inclined-plate design, reducing the probability of back-mixing to below 0.3% and ensuring high separation efficiency.
Modular Design: Inter-stage connections utilize a snap-lock mechanism, allowing for the replacement of a single-stage module within just two hours and facilitating flexible process adjustments. For instance, Company C dynamically optimized the allocation of stages based on fluctuations in raw material composition: the lithium extraction section was expanded from an initial 10 stages to 12 stages, while the cobalt/nickel separation section was adjusted from 15 stages to 14 stages. 2. Process InnovationCompany C employs a process featuring "three-stage extraction + two-stage washing + three-stage back-extraction":
Lithium Preferential Extraction Stage: Utilizing a P507-kerosene system (with a saponification degree of 60%) at a pH of 5.5, lithium extraction rate is 99.2% , with a single-stage residence time of just 8 minutes.
Cobalt-Nickel Separation Stage: By adjusting the pH to 6.2, cobalt is transferred into the organic phase (achieving an extraction rate of 99.5%), while nickel remains in the aqueous phase (achieving a purity of 99.3%).
Back-Extraction and Regeneration Stage: To use a 3mol/L sulfuric acid solution for back extraction of loaded organic phase; the recycling rate of the extractant reaches 98%, resulting in an annual reduction of 120 tons in P507 procurement.III. Results of Industrial Application1. Economic ValueCost Savings: Solvent consumption has been reduced by 45% (dropping from 1.5 tons per ton of product to 0.82 tons per ton), resulting in annual savings of 27 million RMB on solvent procurement costs.
Capacity increasement: The single-stage separation time has been shortened from 8 hours to 8 minutes; the equipment's annual processing capacity for leachate has reached 12,000 tons—a 300% increase compared to traditional processes.
High purity of final product: The purity of battery-grade lithium carbonate has been raised from 98.5% to 99.9%, while the purity of cobalt and nickel salts has reached 99.8%; these standards meet the production requirements for high-end power batteries, generating an additional 180 million RMB in annual sales revenue.2. Environmental BenefitsWastewater Reduction: The wastewater recycling rate stands at 99%; the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) value has dropped from 15,000 mg/L to 800 mg/L, reducing biochemical treatment costs by 80%.
Solid Waste Treatment: A combined process of vacuum filtration and centrifugal dewatering is employed, resulting in a solid moisture content of less than 5% and achieving a "zero discharge" objective.
Carbon Footprint Reduction: Electricity consumption per ton of product has decreased from 1,500 kWh to 750 kWh, resulting in an annual reduction of 15,000 tons of CO₂ emissions—equivalent to planting 750,000 trees. IV. Technical Versatility and Future Outlook1. Verified Applications Across Multiple FieldsThe MT series of mixer settler (extraction tank)has been successfully deployed in the following fields:
Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) Recovery: One customer use a 25-stage series mixer-settler system achieved a lithium recovery rate of 99.1% and an iron phosphate purity of 99.5%, thereby meeting the production requirements for energy storage batteries.
Rare Earth Separation: One customer use a 30-stage mixer-settler system to process leachates from NdFeB (neodymium-iron-boron) waste; this resulted in a Pr-Nd (praseodymium-neodymium) separation coefficient of 1.8 and a product purity of 99.99%.
Hydrometallurgy: one customer use a 15-stage mixer-settler system achieved a copper recovery rate of 99.8%, leading to an annual increase of 15,000 tons in cathode copper production.2. Directions for Technical IterationIntelligent Upgrades: By integrating digital twin technology, a comprehensive "equipment-process-supervision" traceability system will be established, aiming to achieve a fault prediction accuracy rate exceeding 95%.
Material Innovation: The development of silicon carbide ceramic composite linings-capable of withstanding strong acidic environments (pH < 0.5)—will extend the service life of the equipment to 15 years.
Process Integration: By coupling with membrane separation and electrochemical deposition technologies, a "extraction-refinement-resource recovery" zero-emission system will be formed, boosting resource utilization efficiency to over 99.5%.V. ConclusionOur 30-stage series 1L PP-material mixer settlers system, It is not only achieved highly efficient and eco-friendly recycling of ternary lithium batteries but has also validated the immense potential of modular extraction technology within the field of resource recycling. With the deep integration of AI control technologies and novel materials, extraction technology will continue to spearhead the battery recycling industry's transformation toward "zero emissions, high purity, and low cost," thereby offering a "Chinese Solution" for the global new energy industry's upgrading and advancement.Hot selling, Send us your inquiry now and get a fast response within 24 hours.
