Sunresin's complete solution for cobalt extraction

As a rare metal with high energy density, cobalt is an important element of ternary batteries. With the rapid development of the Electric Vehicles industry, the supply-demand relationship of cobalt has been tight for a long time. Congo (DRC) is a cobalt-rich country with its output accounting for up to 70% of the global output.

For the Ruashi cobalt extraction project, Sunresin designed, constructed, and operated independently from the scratch. During the implementation period, the team overcame various challenges such as unfamiliar living conditions, language barriers, cultural differences, as well as the impact of the pandemic, to finally realize the successful commissioning and operation of the cobalt extraction production line.

Sunresin’s Ruashi project features the extraction of cobalt from the precipitation liquor of cobalt hydroxide. The project included a collaborative effort with Sunresin’s Remote Solution Operation and Monitoring Center (RESOM) in Xi'an, an innovative initiative put in place during the lockdown period in 2020 to serve domestic and international EPC projects.

With its patented Simulated Moving Bed (SMB) technology for continuous ion exchange, as well as the selective cobalt adsorption materials, Sunresin has managed to increase the concentration of cobalt ions in the precipitation liquor from 0.1g/L to 20g/L, making the original mother liquor with little value a new source of cobalt supply. The successful implementation of this project will add more than 300 tons of cobalt products per annum to the Jinchuan Ruashi project, thereby realizing an annual income of tens of millions of dollars.

Sunresin's complete solution for cobalt extraction is a first-timer application in the field of cobalt extraction. Not only was it the first successful large-scale industrialization project in Congo (DRC), it also helped to broaden the application range of the adsorption technology in the whole new energy sector.