IP Library Granted Patent US 12679744
Granted Patent B2
US 12679744 · App. 18/252,263 · Granted Jul 14, 2026

Method for producing lithium metal composite oxide

Inventor: Tatsuya Hanafusa (Niihama, JP)
Assignee: Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd.
C01G53/42H01B1/08H01M4/525C01P2002/54C01P2006/40
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12679744
App. No.
18/252,263
Granted
Jul 14, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method for producing a lithium metal composite oxide includes charging a substance to be treated from an inlet of a heating facility including a rotary cylinder having the inlet and an outlet, rotating the rotary cylinder around an axis of the rotary cylinder under supply of an oxygen-containing gas to move the substance in a direction toward the outlet and heat the substance, and discharging the heated substance from the outlet, in which the substance includes one of a mixture of a metal composite compound and a lithium compound and a reactant of the metal composite compound and the lithium compound, in a heating region of the heating facility, an average movement distance of the substance where a surface of a layer of the substance is moved is 13 m or more, and a temperature in the heating region is 700 to 900° C.

Claims (37)

1 . A method for producing a lithium metal composite oxide, comprising:

charging a substance to be treated from an inlet of a heating facility including a rotary cylinder having the inlet at one end and an outlet at the other end, using the heating facility;

rotating the rotary cylinder around an axis of the rotary cylinder under supply of an oxygen-containing gas to move the substance to be treated in a direction toward the outlet and heat the substance to be treated; and

discharging the heated substance to be treated from the outlet,

wherein the substance to be treated includes one of a mixture of a metal composite compound and a lithium compound and a reactant of the metal composite compound and the lithium compound,

in a heating region of the heating facility, an average movement distance of the substance to be treated where a surface of a layer of the substance to be treated is moved is 13 m or more, and

a heating temperature in the heating region is 700° C. to 900° C., and

wherein the substance to be treated is heated such that a value represented by a formula (IV) satisfies 0.80 to 1.30,

a volume [m 3 /hr] of substance to be treated that is charged per hour/a volume [m/hr] of heated substance to be treated that is discharged per hour  (IV),

the volume [m 3 /hr] of substance to be treated that is charged per hour=an amount [kg/hr] of substance to be treated charged/an average bulk density [kg/m 3 ] of substance to be treated  (IV-i), and

the volume [m 3 /hr] of the heated substance to be treated that is discharged per hour=an amount [kg/hr] of the heated substance to be treated discharged/an average bulk density [kg/m 3 ] of heated substance to be treated  (IV-ii).

2 . The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the average movement distance of the substance to be treated is 15 m or more.

3 . The method according to claim 2 ,

wherein the lithium compound is lithium hydroxide.

4 . The method according to claim 2 ,

wherein the substance to be treated is heated while the oxygen-containing gas is supplied into the rotary cylinder such that a ratio of an oxygen-containing gas flow rate to a mass of the substance to be treated becomes 0.5 Nm 3 /kg or more.

5 . The method according to claim 2 ,

wherein the substance to be treated is continuously heated while the oxygen-containing gas is supplied into the rotary cylinder from the outlet, the oxygen-containing gas is discharged from the inlet, and, furthermore, outflow of the oxygen-containing gas from the outlet is blocked.

6 . The method according to claim 2 ,

wherein the substance to be treated is heated while the rotary cylinder is rotated such that a rotation speed becomes 0.003 to 0.5 rad/sec.

7 . The method according to claim 2 ,

wherein the lithium metal composite oxide is represented by a composition formula (V),

Li[Li m (Ni (1-n) X n ) 1-m ]O 2   (V)

in the formula (V), X represents one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Co, Mn, Fe, Cu, Ti, Mg, Al, W, Mo, Nb, Zn, Sn, Zr, Ga, V, B, Si, S, and P, −0.1≤m≤0.2, 0<n<0.7, and 0<m+n<0.8 are satisfied.

8 . The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the lithium compound is lithium hydroxide.

9 . The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the substance to be treated is heated while the oxygen-containing gas is supplied into the rotary cylinder such that a ratio of an oxygen-containing gas flow rate to a mass of the substance to be treated becomes 0.5 Nm 3 /kg or more.

10 . The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the substance to be treated is continuously heated while the oxygen-containing gas is supplied into the rotary cylinder from the outlet, the oxygen-containing gas is discharged from the inlet, and, furthermore, outflow of the oxygen-containing gas from the outlet is blocked.

11 . The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the substance to be treated is heated while the rotary cylinder is rotated such that a rotation speed becomes 0.003 to 0.5 rad/sec.

12 . The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the lithium metal composite oxide is represented by a composition formula (V),

Li[Li m (Ni (1-n) X n ) 1-m ]O 2   (V)

in the formula (V), X represents one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Co, Mn, Fe, Cu, Ti, Mg, Al, W, Mo, Nb, Zn, Sn, Zr, Ga, V, B, Si, S, and P, −0.1≤m≤0.2, 0<n<0.7, and 0<m+n<0.8 are satisfied.