An electrochemical cell has been designed to treat very diluted cobalt solutions, i.e. those deriving from recycling processes of lithium-ion batteries. A reticulated vitreous carbon sponge was used as cathode and a Pt-coated Ti net as anode. A controlled potential electrolysis has been carried out in a solution flowing in the cell and maintained at a constant pH of 6.5. Considering the cathode dimensions (10.0 cm * 10.0 cm * 1.25 cm), rather high volumes of solution (>1 litre) can be treated with flow rates up to 1.6 l/min. The process yield is obviously related to the solution concentration; it has been observed that, starting with a solution containing 200 ppm of Co2+, the yield is initially ~35-40%, but it decreases to ~20% when 80% of the initial cobalt content has been electrowon. The yield increases up to ∼50% if the carbon electrode is coated by cobalt. The conditions allowing a fast and complete removal of cobalt are outlined.
Electrochemical purification of cobalt polluted effluents / Dell'Era, Alessandro; Lupi, Carla; Pasquali, Mauro. - (2008), pp. 1413-1418. (Intervento presentato al convegno 2008 Global Symposium on Recycling, Waste Treatment and Clean Technology, REWAS 2008 tenutosi a CANCUN, MEXICO nel OCT. 12-15, 2008).
Electrochemical purification of cobalt polluted effluents
DELL'ERA, Alessandro;LUPI, Carla;PASQUALI, Mauro
2008
Abstract
An electrochemical cell has been designed to treat very diluted cobalt solutions, i.e. those deriving from recycling processes of lithium-ion batteries. A reticulated vitreous carbon sponge was used as cathode and a Pt-coated Ti net as anode. A controlled potential electrolysis has been carried out in a solution flowing in the cell and maintained at a constant pH of 6.5. Considering the cathode dimensions (10.0 cm * 10.0 cm * 1.25 cm), rather high volumes of solution (>1 litre) can be treated with flow rates up to 1.6 l/min. The process yield is obviously related to the solution concentration; it has been observed that, starting with a solution containing 200 ppm of Co2+, the yield is initially ~35-40%, but it decreases to ~20% when 80% of the initial cobalt content has been electrowon. The yield increases up to ∼50% if the carbon electrode is coated by cobalt. The conditions allowing a fast and complete removal of cobalt are outlined.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.