# Selective Copper Removal from an Fe–P–Cu Alloy Recovered by Pyrometallurgical Reduction of Spent LiFePO4 Batteries via Sulfidation–Slag Refining

## TL;DR

This study develops a method to remove copper from iron alloys made from recycled lithium batteries, improving the quality of the recovered metal.

## Contribution

A sulfidation-slag refining process is introduced to selectively remove Cu from Fe–P–Cu alloys derived from spent LiFePO4 batteries.

## Key findings

- Copper is selectively transferred to sulfide phases while iron remains in the metal phase.
- Optimal conditions achieved 81.13% Cu removal and 87.42% Fe recovery with 90.80% Fe content in the refined metal.
- The process enables efficient upgrading of Fe-rich materials from spent batteries.

## Abstract

The recycling of spent lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4, LFP) batteries is receiving increasing attention as electric-vehicle deployment accelerates worldwide. Pyrometallurgical reduction offers a viable route for large-scale recovery of iron-rich products from spent LFP batteries; however, the resulting Fe-based alloys often retain residual copper (Cu), which deteriorates alloy quality and constrains downstream utilization and refining. In this study, a sulfidation–slag refining process was developed to selectively remove Cu from an Fe–P–Cu alloy produced by dry reduction of spent LFP batteries. FeS was employed as a sulfidizing agent to promote preferential conversion of Cu into sulfide phases, while fayalite (Fe2SiO4) slag was introduced to enhance phase separation between metallic and sulfide/slag phases. Thermodynamic calculations coupled with high-temperature experiments were conducted at 1400–1600 °C under various Cu:FeS ratios to identify operating conditions that maximize Cu removal while minimizing Fe loss. The results indicate that Cu is selectively transferred from the metallic phase to Cu–Fe–S sulfide phases, whereas Fe remains predominantly in the metal phase. Under the optimal condition (1400 °C, Cu:FeS = 2:1), the refined metal reached an Fe content of 90.80 wt.%, achieving an Fe recovery of 87.42% and a Cu removal efficiency of 81.13%. The proposed approach provides a practical stepwise refining strategy for upgrading Fe-rich secondary resources recovered from spent LFP batteries and facilitates subsequent impurity-control processes.