Method for Separating Copper from Nickel and Cobalt
Summary
The European Patent Office published patent EP3702481A1, titled "Method for Separating Copper from Nickel and Cobalt," assigned to Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. The patent covers a metallurgical process for selective separation of copper from nickel and cobalt-bearing materials. The patent application designates 41 European states including Germany, France, the UK, Italy, and Spain. No compliance actions are required from market participants.
What changed
The EPO published patent EP3702481A1 for Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd., covering a method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt in metallurgical processing. The patent classifies under C22B (obtaining and processing of nickel, cobalt, and copper), with secondary classifications including battery material processing (H01M) and recycling (H01M10/54). Designated states span the European Patent Convention members.
No regulatory compliance actions are required. This is a patent publication notice, not a regulatory requirement. Companies in battery materials processing, recycling, or ore processing industries may review the patent claims to assess potential licensing needs or to ensure their processes do not infringe on the protected separation method.
Source document (simplified)
METHOD FOR SEPARATING COPPER FROM NICKEL AND COBALT
Publication EP3702481A1 Kind: A1 Mar 25, 2026
Applicants
Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd.
Inventors
HIGAKI Tatsuya, TAKENOUCHI Hiroshi, KOBAYASHI Hiroshi, ASANO Satoshi
IPC Classifications
C22B 23/00 20060101AFI20210604BHEP C22B 3/08 20060101ALI20210604BHEP C22B 3/44 20060101ALI20210604BHEP C22B 7/00 20060101ALI20210604BHEP C01G 3/12 20060101ALI20210604BHEP C01G 51/10 20060101ALI20210604BHEP C01G 53/10 20060101ALI20210604BHEP C22B 15/00 20060101ALI20210604BHEP C22B 3/00 20060101ALI20210604BHEP H01M 4/525 20100101ALI20210604BHEP H01M 10/0525 20100101ALI20210604BHEP H01M 10/54 20060101ALI20210604BHEP
Designated States
AL, AT, BE, BG, CH, CY, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, LI, LT, LU, LV, MC, MK, MT, NL, NO, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SI, SK, SM, TR
Related changes
Source
Classification
Who this affects
Taxonomy
Browse Categories
Get Energy alerts
Weekly digest. AI-summarized, no noise.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
Get alerts for this source
We'll email you when ChangeBridge: EPO Bulletin - Batteries (H01M) publishes new changes.