Detailed Microparticle Analyses Providing Process Relevant Chemical and Microtextural Insights into the Black Mass

Abstract

Eramet uses a combination of physical and hydrometallurgical treatment to recycle lithium-ion batteries. Before hydrometallurgical processing, mechanical treatment is applied to recover the Black Mass which contains nickel, cobalt, manganese and lithium as valuable elements as well as graphite, solvent, plastics, aluminium and copper. To evaluate the suitability for hydrometallurgical recycling, it is essential to analyse the Black Mass chemically but also with respect to size, shape and composition of particles in the Black Mass. The Black Mass of various battery recyclers was investigated by using a combination of SEM/QEMSCAN® analyses. This specific QEMSCAN® database contains 260 subgroups, which comprise major and minor chemical variations of phases. The database was created using millions of point analyses. Major observations are: (1) particles can be micro-texturally characterised and classified with respect to chemical element contents; (2) important textural and chemical particle variations exist in the Black Mass from several origins leading to different levels of quality; (3) elements deleterious to hydrometallurgical processing (i.g. Si, Ca, Ti, Al, Cu and others) are present in well liberated particles; (4) components can be quantified and cathodes active material compositions (LCO, different NMC, NCA, LFP, etc.) that are specific for each battery type can be identified; (5) simulation of further physical mineral processing can optimise Black Mass purity in valuable elements.

Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling─Influence of Recycling Processes on Component Liberation and Flotation Separation Efficiency

“…The impact of each strategy on the characteristics of black mass particles was studied using automated mineralogy. This novel approach for black mass characterization was recently proposed by Vanderbruggen et al 10 and Dadéet al 25 and provides information on the chemical composition, morphology, and degree of liberation of LIB components. While most research on LIB recycling has focused on the operating conditions and design of separation processes, there is a need to gain a fundamental understanding of particle behavior and liberation as a result of treatment stages that systematically affect their overall recycling efficiency.…”

Recovery of Graphite from Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries

“…This classified all phases producing around 45 categories, which were subsequently grouped into 7 categories according to the requirements of the project (Table 4). This process benefited from other analysis data from the project, as well as the details in [37]. This also needed to consider the limitations of the method in terms of elemental detection limits and range (see [36], Section 7 for details).…”

Battery Waste Management in Europe: Black Mass Hazardousness and Recycling Strategies in the Light of an Evolving Competitive Regulation

“…Considering that BM accounts for 40 to 50% of a battery's total weight [6], projections for 2030 underscore a significant challenge in Europe with the management of an estimated 105.000t to 132.000t of this material. The current practice of exporting BM to countries with advanced recycling facilities, while effective in handling the material, leads to a loss of potential revenue for Europe, as BM contains valuable elements like Cobalt and Lithium [7]. This exportation trend stands in contrast to the goals of the Critical Raw Materials Act [8], which aims to reduce Europe's reliance on imported raw materials.…”