Secondary resources such as electronic waste, spent batteries, tailings, and metallurgical slags contain large quantities of valuable recoverable metals including copper, aluminum, nickel, cobalt, and lithium. Thanks to its high recovery efficiency and lower environmental impact, hydrometallurgy has become one of the mainstream processes for metal recycling and resource recovery. Within the hydrometallurgical process, liquid-liquid extraction is one of the most critical steps. It directly determines metal purity, recovery rate, and overall operating cost.
The CWL-M Series Centrifugal Extractor, independently developed by Zhengzhou Tiei Extraction, is a high-efficiency extraction system specifically designed for hydrometallurgical metal recovery applications. With excellent corrosion resistance, low energy consumption, and high separation efficiency, it has been widely used in various metal recycling production lines.
Why Is the Metal Recovery Industry Increasingly Choosing the CWL-M Centrifugal Extractor?
1.Harsh Corrosive Conditions? Fully Fluorinated Polymer Materials Handle Them with Ease
Leach solutions in metal recovery often contain strong acids, strong alkalis, or high-concentration salts, which can easily cause corrosion and failure in ordinary equipment.The wetted parts of the CWL-M centrifugal extractor are made of fully fluorinated polymer materials, providing excellent resistance to strong acids, strong alkalis, and organic solvents, ensuring long-term operation with no leakage and no corrosion.
2.Large Processing Capacity and Low Energy Consumption, Significantly Reducing Operating Costs
Under the same processing capacity, the CWL-M centrifugal extractor consumes much less power than traditional mixer-settlers or similar centrifugal extraction equipment. With its compact structure and optimized flow path, energy consumption per unit of processing is lower, helping plants reduce energy usage and operating costs.
3.Excellent Mixing and Separation Performance for Higher Extraction Efficiency
The uniquely designed mixing structure allows more thorough contact between the two phases. Combined with high-speed centrifugal separation, phase separation is rapid with minimal entrainment. Whether extracting copper from electronic waste solutions or recovering cobalt and lithium from battery leach solutions, the CWL-M centrifugal extractor delivers high extraction efficiency and high product purity.
4.Small Liquid Hold-Up Volume and Less Loss of Valuable Materials
The equipment has a small internal liquid hold-up volume. It is especially suitable for processing solutions containing precious metals such as gold, silver, and platinum, helping reduce material accumulation in the system, lower capital occupation, and minimize leakage risks.
5.Convenient Heavy-Phase Weir Replacement—One Machine for Multiple Materials
Different metal recovery projects, or even different process solutions on the same production line, often have significant differences in phase ratio and interfacial tension. The CWL-M centrifugal extractor supports quick replacement of the heavy-phase weir, allowing adjustments to be completed in just a few minutes and enabling flexible adaptation to a wide range of process conditions.
6.Simple Structure, Stable Operation, and Low Maintenance Costs
There are no complex internal transmission components. The machine runs smoothly with an extremely low failure rate. Daily maintenance only requires simple cleaning and inspection, making it especially suitable for continuous industrial production.
7.High Degree of Automation and Easy Integration into Smart Factories
The system supports real-time monitoring and remote adjustment of parameters such as: flow rate, rotational speed, current, temperature. It can also be integrated with DCS systems to achieve unattended or minimally attended operation.
Application Scenarios
- Spent Lithium Battery Recycling: Extracting and separating valuable metals such as nickel, cobalt, and lithium from leach solutions.
- Electronic Waste Processing: Recovering copper, gold, and palladium from printed circuit board acid leach solutions.
- Tailings and Metallurgical Slag: Processing low-grade and complex solutions to recover residual metals.
- Non-Ferrous Metal Extraction: Suitable for various hydrometallurgical extraction processes for non-ferrous metals.
Customer Case Studies
A lithium battery recycling company previously used mixer-settlers to extract nickel and cobalt, but faced issues such as serious entrainment, low extraction efficiency, and large installation space requirements. After replacing the system with the CWL-M centrifugal extractor:
Extraction efficiency increased by 5%–8%
Unit energy consumption reduced by 30%
Organic phase entrainment reduced by 60%
Operating staff reduced from 3 persons per shift to 1 person per shift
The value of hydrometallurgical metal recovery depends to a large extent on the performance of the extraction equipment. With its strong advantages of corrosion resistance, large processing capacity, low energy consumption, and high separation precision, the CWL-M centrifugal extractor is becoming the preferred equipment for metal recovery companies to upgrade their processes, reduce costs, and improve efficiency.
If you are facing challenges in the extraction section of your metal recovery production line, welcome to contact Zhengzhou Tiei Extraction Technology Co., Ltd. We provide complete solutions from laboratory-scale to industrial-scale systems, and can also customize equipment according to your specific material system and process requirements.
Email: sales@tieiextraction.com
Whatsapp: +86 19069612820
