The increasing demand for Li-ion batteries for electric vehicles sheds light upon the Co supply chain. The metal is crucial to the cathode of these batteries, and the leading global producer is the D.R. Congo (70%). For this reason, it is considered critical/strategic due to the risk of interruption of supply in the short and medium term. Due to the increasing consumption for the transportation market, the batteries might be considered a secondary source of Co. The outstanding amount of spent batteries makes them to a core of urban mining warranting special attention. Greener technologies for Co recovery are necessary to achieve sustainable development. As a result of these sourcing challenges, this study is devoted to reviewing the techniques for Co recovery, such as acid leaching (inorganic and organic), separation (solvent extraction, ion exchange resins, and precipitation), and emerging technologies—ionic liquids, deep eutectic solvent, supercritical fluids, nanotechnology, and biohydrometallurgy. A dearth of research in emerging technologies for Co recovery from Li-ion batteries is discussed throughout the manuscript within a broader overview. The study is strictly connected to the Sustainability Development Goals (SDG) number 7, 8, 9, and 12.

Neodymium iron boron magnets (NdFeB) play a critical role in various technological applications due to their outstanding magnetic properties, such as high maximum energy product, high remanence and high coercivity. Production of NdFeB is expected to rise significantly in the coming years, for this reason, demand for the rare earth elements (REE) will not only remain high but it also will increase even more. The recovery of rare earth elements has become essential to satisfy this demand in recent years. In the present study rare earth elements recovery from NdFeB magnets as new promising process flowsheet is proposed as follows; (1) acid baking process is performed to decompose the NdFeB magnet to increase in the extraction efficiency for Nd, Pr, and Dy. (2) Iron was removed from the leach liquor during hydrolysis. (3) The production of REE-oxide from leach liquor using ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method. Recovery of mixed REE-oxide from NdFeB magnets via ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method between 700 °C and 1000 °C is a new innovative step in comparison to traditional combination of precipitation with sodium carbonate and thermal decomposition of rare earth carbonate at 850 °C. The synthesized mixed REE- oxide powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). Morphological properties and phase content of mixed REE- oxide were revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. To obtain the size and particle size distribution of REE-oxide, a search algorithm based on an image-processing technique was executed in MATLAB. The obtained particles are spherical with sizes between 362 and 540 nm. The experimental values of the particle sizes of REE- oxide were compared with theoretically predicted ones.

Due to its alkalinity, red mud produced by the Bayer process may affect both the environment and human health. For this reason, its further utilization instead of disposal is of great importance. Numerous methods have already been studied for hydrometallurgical treatment of red mud, especially for the recovery of various metallic components such as iron, aluminum, titanium or rare earth elements. This study focuses on the extraction of titanium from red mud and in particular the mineralogical changes, induced by leaching. Sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid and their combination have been utilized as leaching agents with the same leaching parameters. It has been determined that sulfuric acid is the best candidate for the red mud treatment in terms of titanium leaching efficiency at the end of 2 h with a value of 67.3%. Moreover, samples from intermediate times of reaction revealed that leaching of Ti exhibit various reaction rates at different times of reaction depending on acid type. In order to explain differences, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and QEMSCAN techniques were utilized. Beside titanium oxide (TiO₂) with available free surface area, a certain amount of the TiO₂ was detected as entrapped in Fe dominating oxide. These associations between Ti and Fe phases were used to explain different leaching reaction rates and a reaction mechanism was proposed to open a process window.

The presence of a considerable amount of scandium in lateritic nickel-cobalt ores necessitates the investigation of possible processing alternatives to recover scandium as a byproduct during nickel and cobalt production. Therefore, in this study, rather than interfering with the main nickel-cobalt production circuit, the precipitation-separation behavior of scandium during a pH-controlled precipitation process from a synthetically prepared solution was investigated to adopt the Sc recovery circuit into an already existing hydrometallurgical nickel-cobalt hydroxide processing plant. The composition of the synthetic solution was determined according to the hydrometallurgical nickel laterite ore processing streams obtained from a HPAL (high-pressure sulphuric acid leaching) process. In order to selectively precipitate and concentrate scandium with minimum nickel and cobalt co-precipitation, the pH of the solution was adjusted by CaCO₃, MgO, Na₂CO_3, and NaOH. It was found that precipitation with MgO or Na₂CO₃ is more advantageous to obtain a precipitate containing higher amounts of scandium with minimum mass when compared to the CaCO₃ route, which makes further processing more viable. As a result of this study, it is proposed that by a simple pH-controlled precipitation process, scandium can be separated from the nickel and cobalt containing process solutions as a byproduct without affecting the conventional nickel-cobalt hydroxide production. By further processing this scandium-enriched residue by means of leaching, SX (solvent extraction), and precipitation, an intermediate (NH₄)₂NaScF₆ product can be obtained.

Eudialyte is a promising mineral for rare earth elements (REE) extraction due to its good solubility in acid, low radioactive, and relatively high content of REE. In this paper, a two stage hydrometallurgical treatment of eudialyte concentrate was studied: dry digestion with hydrochloric acid and leaching with water. The hydrochloric acid for dry digestion to eudialyte concentrate ratio, mass of water for leaching to mass of eudialyte concentrate ratio, leaching temperature and leaching time as the predictor variables, and the total rare earth elements (TREE) extraction efficiency as the response were considered. After experimental work in laboratory conditions, according to design of experiment theory (DoE), the modeling process was performed using Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), Stepwise Regression (SWR), and Artificial Neural Network (ANN). The ANN model of REE extraction was adopted. Additional tests showed that values predicted by the neural network model were in very good agreement with the experimental results. Finally, the experiments were performed on a scaled up system under optimal conditions that were predicted by the adopted ANN model. Results at the scale-up plant confirmed the results that were obtained in the laboratory.

Silicon dioxide nanoparticles, also known as silica nanoparticles or nanosilica, are the basis for a great deal of biomedical and catalytic research due to their stability, low toxicity and ability to be functionalized with a range of molecules and polymers. A novel synthesis route is based on CO₂ absorption/sequestration in an autoclave by forsterite (Mg₂SiO₄), which is part of the mineral group of olivines. Therefore, it is a feasible and safe method to bind carbon dioxide in carbonate compounds such as magnesite forming at the same time as the spherical particles of silica. Indifference to traditional methods of synthesis of nanosilica such as sol gel, ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method and hydrothermal synthesis using some acids and alkaline solutions, this synthesis method takes place in water solution at 175 °C and above 100 bar. Our first experiments have studied the influence of some additives such as sodium bicarbonate, oxalic acid and ascorbic acid, solid/liquid ratio and particle size on the carbonation efficiency, without any consideration of formed silica. This paper focuses on a carbonation mechanism for synthesis of nanosilica under high pressure and high temperature in an autoclave, its morphological characteristics and important parameters for silica precipitation such as pH-value and rotating speed.