Automated mineralogy as a novel approach for the compositional and textural characterization of spent lithium-ion batteries

Abstract

Mechanical recycling processes aim to separate particles based on their physical properties, such as size, shape and density, and physico-chemical surface properties, such as wettability. Secondary materials, including electronic waste, are highly complex and heterogeneous, which complicates recycling processes. In order to improve recycling efficiency, characterization of both recycling process feed materials and intermediate products is crucial. Textural characteristics of particles in waste mixtures cannot be determined by conventional characterization techniques, such as X-ray fluorescence and Xray diffraction spectroscopy. This paper presents the application of automated mineralogy as an analytical tool, capable of describing discrete particle characteristics for monitoring and diagnosis of lithium ion battery (LIB) recycling approaches. Automated mineralogy, which is well established for the analysis of primary raw materials but has not yet been tested on battery waste, enables the acquisition of textural and chemical information, such as elemental and phase composition, morphology, association and degree of liberation. For this study, a thermo-mechanically processed black mass (< 1 mm fraction) from spent LIBs was characterized with automated mineralogy. Each particle was categorized based on which LIB component it comprised: Al foil, Cu foil, graphite, lithium metal oxides and alloys from casing. A more selective liberation of the anode components was achieved by thermo-mechanical treatment, in comparison to the cathode components. Therefore, automated mineralogy can provide vital information for understanding the properties of black mass particles, which determine the success of mechanical recycling processes. The introduced methodology is not limited to the presented case study and is applicable for the optimization of different separation unit operations in recycling of waste electronics and batteries. Element and LIB components Spectra examples and name for the reference list Cu from foilAl from foil C from graphite Metals from lithium metal oxides: Co, Ni, Mn and mix Si from filler particles Others from alloys particlesSupplementary material S2 -Compositional thresholds of the collected spectra.

Comprehensive Characterization of Shredded Lithium‐Ion Battery Recycling Material

“…These samples secured information on materials, handling and aging to identify causal coherences between treatment and observed decomposition reactions. However, for more complex recycling material samples, studies on the transferability and adaptability of known methods are needed, as well as developments of new approaches for sample‐specific characterization [31] . In this work, we report the application of analytical methods, previously established for laboratory aging and post mortem cell studies, to investigate unknown shredded LIB material from an industrial recycling process.…”

A Roadmap for Transforming Research to Invent the Batteries of the Future Designed within the European Large Scale Research Initiative BATTERY 2030+

“…[ 138 ] Recycling processes may have to be redesigned, for example, to use an inert gas atmosphere, depending on the battery type. While the transition to aqueous processing of electrodes on the large scale is inevitable with regard to economic and ecologic improvements in battery manufacturing, the same relevance of this transition accounts for recycling and recovery processes of electrodes. [ 139–141 ] Obsolete binders and additives will have to be removed in advance to further recovery steps of active materials. [ 142,143 ] Despite recent progress regarding direct recovery of electrode active materials, [ 144,145 ] an additional upscaling of electrode chemistries will be necessary in many cases, as decommissioned batteries will likely contain outdated electrode chemistries.…”