Environment-friendly technology for recovering cathode materials from spent lithium iron phosphate batteries

Abstract

The consumption of lithium iron phosphate (LFP)-type lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is rising sharply with the increasing use of electric vehicles (EVs) worldwide. Hence, a large number of retired LFP batteries from EVs are generated annually. A recovery technology for spent LFP batteries is urgently required. Compared with pyrometallurgical, hydrometallurgical and biometallurgical recycling technologies, physical separating technology has not yet formed a systematic theory and efficient sorting technology. Strengthening the research and development of physical separating technology is an important issue for the efficient use of retired LFP batteries. In this study, spent LFP batteries were discharged in 5 wt% sodium chloride solution for approximately three hours. A specially designed machine was developed to dismantle spent LFP batteries. Extending heat treatment time exerted minimal effect on quality loss. Within the temperature range of 240°C–300°C, temperature change during heat treatment slightly affected mass loss. The change in heat treatment temperature also had negligible effect on the shedding quality of LFP materials. The cathode material and the aluminium foil current collector accounted for a certain proportion in a sieve with a particle size of −1.25 + 0.40 mm. Corona electrostatic separation was performed to separate the metallic particles (with a size range of –1.5 + 0.2 mm) from the nonmetallic particles of crushed spent LFP batteries. No additional reagent was used in the process, and no toxic gases, hazardous solid waste or wastewater were produced. This study provides a complete material recovery process for spent LFP batteries.

To shred or not to shred: A comparative techno-economic assessment of lithium ion battery hydrometallurgical recycling retaining value and improving circularity in LIB supply chains

“…Several direct and indirect methods exist and many municipal waste processing sites integrate a variety of these techniques to produce bins of segregated waste with varying values depending on the purity of feedstock and efficiency of the segregation steps. The main sorting methods and the properties on which their separation is based are listed in Table 1 (Gundupalli et al, 2017;Sommerville et al, 2020;Bi et al, 2020;Bi et al, 2019;Al-Thyabat et al, 2013).…”

Environmentally friendly automated line for recovering aluminium and lithium iron phosphate components of spent lithium-iron phosphate batteries

“…Thus, the pole pieces were instantly crushed at a high speed, and the LFP powder and Al foil particles fell off and fell to the bottom of the machine compartment. According to the previous research, the energy consumption experimental Equation ( 1) is (Bi et al, 2020):…”

Second Life of Used Lithium-Ion Batteries from Electric Vehicles in the USA

“…Current repair technologies face challenges, particularly in the direct repair of spent cathode materials, where traditional methods such as pyrolysis and hydrometallurgical leaching aim to extract valuable metals but may result in potential secondary pollution [43,44]. Innovations in direct repair technologies, such as solid-phase sintering, show promise for their low cost and high value-added advantages, offering a more sustainable alternative by reducing recycling costs and environmental pollution [45,46].…”