Countercurrent leaching of Ni, Co, Mn, and Li from spent lithium-ion batteries.

This study focuses on a countercurrent leaching process (CLP) for the dissolution of high-value metals from cathode active material of spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Its main aim is to improve the effective utilization of acid during leaching and allow for the continuous operation of the entire CLP by adjusting the process parameters. The overall recovery of lithium (Li), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), and manganese (Mn) was 98%, 95%, 95%, and 92%, respectively; the acid utilization of the leaching process exceeded 95% under optimum conditions. The optimum conditions for first stage leaching were 70 g/L solid-liquid (S/L) ratio at 40°C for 30 minutes, and 2.0 M sulfuric acid, 100 g/L S/L ratio, 7 g/L starch, at 85°C for 120 minutes for second stage leaching. After five bouts of circulatory leaching, more than 98% Li, 95% Co, 95% Ni, and 92% Mn were leached under the same leaching conditions. Furthermore, we introduced the Avrami equation to describe metal leaching kinetics from spent LIBs, and determined that the second stage leaching process was controlled by the diffusion rate. In this way, Li, Ni, Co, and Mn can be recovered efficiently and the excess acid in the leachate can be reused in this hydrometallurgical process, potentially offering economic and environmental benefits.

Determination of Related Indexes in the Concentration Process of Huagai San Extraction Solution by Online Collection Technology for Near Infrared Spectroscopy / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE：To establish the method for online rapid detection of related indexes in the concentration process of Huagai san extraction solution ，and to provide reference for judgment of concentration end point. METHODS ：Online diagram of 73 concentrated samples in the concentration process of Huagai san extraction solution were drawn by NIRS online collection equipment. The partial least squares （PLS）method was used to establish the NIRS quantitative calibration model of 5 related indexes （concentration density ， solid content ， the contents of amygdalin ， ephedrine hydrochloride and pseudoephedrine hydrochloride）. Another 15 samples were used to validate the model ，and the correlation of predicted value and measured value was analyzed. RESULTS ：The correlation coefficients （R2）of the concentration density ，solid content ，the contents of amygdalin ， ephedrine hydrochloride and pseudoephedrine hydrochloride in the quantitative calibration model were 0.982 5，0.999 9，0.998 3， 0.999 4 and 0.999 3，respectively；the root mean square errors of calibration （RMSEC）were 0.001 6，0.025 1，0.014 7，0.001 8 and 0.000 9；the root mean square errors of cross validation （RMSECV）were 0.002 1，0.035 8，0.033 6，0.006 3 and 0.001 3， respectively. After validation by 15 samples，root mean square errors of prediction （RMSEP）were 0.003 2，0.024 6，0.021 5， 0.007 7 and 0.005 9，respectively. CONCLUSIONS ：The established quantitative calibration model has good predictability and can provide basis for online judgment of concentration end point of Huagai san extraction solution.

Survey on dietary intake of phytosterols in middle-aged and elderly populations in Guangzhou / 中华临床营养杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the dietary intake of phytosterols in middle-aged and elderly residents in Guangzhou.Methods The dietary data were collected from 599 middle-aged and elderly residents (222 men and 377 women) recruited by stratified cluster random sampling in Guangzhou.All the subjects were surveyed using Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ).The dietary intake of phytosterols was estimated using Chinese data of phytosterol composition of a range of foods.ResultsThe dietary intake of total phytosterols was 336.36 ±142.88 mg/d,which included β-sitosterol 218.53 ± 95.20 mg/d,campesterol 48.33 ± 23.69 mg/d,stigmasterol 36.40 ± 14.38 mg/d,β-sitostanol 30.65 ± 13.62 mg/d,and campestanol 4.67 ±2.77 mg/d.Women had a significantly higher intake of phytosterols than men [ (345.45 ±141.06) mg/d vs.(320.93 ±144.95) mg/d,P=0.0425].Edible oil,vegetable,cereal,and fruit were the four major food sources of phytosterols,representing 37.2％,19.8％,18.5％,and 12.5％ of the total phytosterols intake respectively.Energy-adjusted intake of phytosterols was (42.94 ± 15.66) mg/1000 kJ,and women had a significantly higher intake than men [ (46.04 ±15.90) mg/1000 kJ vs.(37.69 ± 13.76) mg/1000 kJ,P =0.0000 ].ConclusionAmong the middle-aged and elderly residents in Guangzhou,women have higher phytosterols intake than men.