Issue 7, 2023

Sulfur–oleylamine copolymer synthesized via inverse vulcanization for the selective recovery of copper from lithium-ion battery E-waste

Abstract

Elemental sulfur (S8) is an abundant and inexpensive by-product of petroleum refining. Polymeric sulfur is thermodynamically unstable and depolymerizes back to S8 with time, which limits its applications and causes megatons of sulfur to accumulate in nature. A novel sulfur–oleylamine copolymer, synthesized using the inverse vulcanization method, is reported for the selective recovery of Cu2+ from a complex mixture of transition metals. Adsorption studies have been performed using batch experiments in the simulated aqueous solution containing a mix of metal ions (Mx+ = Fe, Al, Mn, Co, Ni and Cu). The effect of different adsorption parameters such as pH, time, adsorbent dose, sulfur content, and desorption have been studied. The results demonstrate that the sulfur–oleylamine copolymer shows high selectivity towards Cu2+, with excellent adsorption efficiency of >98% in acidic pH (pH ≈ 1) at room temperature, which is of practical relevance in the handling of battery leach liquors obtained from industrially derived blackmass. Finally, the sulfur–oleylamine copolymers were also applied to battery leach liquors with hydrochloric (HCl) or citric acid and showed Cu2+ adsorption efficiency of >98% ± 1 and > 95% ± 7, respectively. This work presents a novel way to convert industrial waste into a stable sulfur polymer and demonstrates its use as a promising material for selective recovery of Cu ions from battery waste and industrial effluents in a simple and cost-effective manner.

Graphical abstract: Sulfur–oleylamine copolymer synthesized via inverse vulcanization for the selective recovery of copper from lithium-ion battery E-waste

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Research Article
Submitted
27 10 2022
Accepted
15 2 2023
First published
16 2 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Mater. Chem. Front., 2023,7, 1374-1384

Sulfur–oleylamine copolymer synthesized via inverse vulcanization for the selective recovery of copper from lithium-ion battery E-waste

S. Ashoka Sahadevan, X. Xiao, Y. Ma, K. Forsberg, R. T. Olsson and J. M. Gardner, Mater. Chem. Front., 2023, 7, 1374 DOI: 10.1039/D2QM01093C

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