A system and method for recovering and recycling charged waste batteries

Abstract

The application relates to a waste battery live treatment and recovery system and method, which separates diaphragms, positive and negative pole pieces and battery housings from waste batteries through twice crushing and entering into a winnowing box. The diaphragms enter into electromagnetic heating carbonization to become positive and negative pole powders and enter into a positive pole piece recovery system. The positive and negative pole pieces enter into magnetic separation through vacuum conveying to separate positive pole pieces and negative pole pieces. The positive pole pieces pass through electromagnetic heating to destroy the adhesive structure of the positive pole, pass through a pulverizer and a winnowing machine to separate positive pole powder and aluminum powder. The negative pole pieces directly enter into the pulverizer and the winnowing machine to separate negative pole powder and copper powder. The battery housings are directly packaged and recovered for separate treatment. The waste battery live treatment and recovery method not only realizes live treatment and recovery of waste batteries, but also comprehensively treats and recovers aluminum, copper, pole powder and housings in the waste batteries, avoids resource waste and pollution, and has low energy consumption, high efficiency, small investment of treatment equipment, simple maintenance and low cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of battery recycling and reuse, and in particular to a system and method for the live-charged treatment and recycling of waste batteries. Background Technology

[0002] Due to their high pollution and significant resource waste, the government strongly promotes the recycling and disposal of waste batteries, primarily through crushing, sorting, and reuse. Currently, the main methods for crushing and sorting waste batteries are discharge and dry crushing. Existing discharge methods mainly rely on brine discharge, which suffers from severe battery pack corrosion, electrolyte leakage, incomplete discharge, and the need for harmless treatment of the brine. Existing dry crushing methods mainly involve pulverization, which presents flammable and explosive hazards and generates large amounts of dust, posing significant safety risks and environmental pollution. In addition, some effective recycling and processing equipment exists, but its widespread adoption and development are hindered by high equipment investment, high energy consumption, and high production and maintenance costs.

[0003] CN112310503A discloses a method for recycling and processing waste lithium batteries. The method involves three steps: a first crushing step, where paper is shredded and separated using a blower; a second crushing step, where the paper-free raw material is crushed and then magnetically separated to obtain positive and negative electrode materials and a copper-graphite mixture; a third crushing step, where the remaining product is separated using airflow to obtain an iron-lithium mixture and iron phosphate powder; then, the magnetically separated copper-graphite mixture is ground to separate copper and graphite, and the iron-lithium mixture separated in the third crushing step is ground to separate iron powder and lithium powder. This method primarily utilizes crushing and grinding processes, requiring minimal equipment investment and is economical. Furthermore, it eliminates the need for water introduction, drying, or filtration, making it simple to operate and preventing water pollution. It can separate paper, copper powder, graphite, iron powder, lithium powder, and iron phosphate powder for reuse in production. However, this method involves multiple crushing and grinding processes, which can lead to electrical discharge and pose certain safety hazards. In addition, multiple crushing, sorting, and grinding processes result in complex steps and procedures, high energy consumption, high equipment investment costs, and significant dust pollution during production. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to improve and innovate upon the shortcomings and problems existing in the background technology, and to provide a waste battery charging and recycling system.

[0005] Another objective of this invention is to provide a method for recycling used batteries while they are still charged using this system.

[0006] This invention relates to a waste battery live-line treatment and recycling system, comprising an air classifier, a waste battery crusher connected to the inlet of the air classifier, diaphragm processing lines and positive and negative electrode processing lines respectively connected to the outlets of the air classifier, and a housing collection box corresponding to the outlet at the bottom of the air classifier. The positive and negative electrode processing lines include a magnetic separator whose inlet is connected to the air classifier, and a positive electrode recycling production line and a negative electrode recycling production line respectively connected to the outlet of the magnetic separator. The positive electrode recycling production line includes an electromagnetic heater, a crusher, and an air classifier connected in sequence, and the negative electrode recycling production line includes a crusher and an air classifier connected in sequence. The air classifier is a multi-stage air classifier consisting of a four-stage air classifier, an eight- to ten-stage air classifier, and a windless air classifier arranged sequentially from top to bottom and connected in a continuous manner. The outlet of the four-stage air classifier is connected to the diaphragm processing line, the outlet of the eight- to ten-stage air classifier is connected to the positive and negative electrode processing lines, and the outlet of the windless air classifier corresponds to the housing collection box. The waste battery crushing unit, air separator, diaphragm processing line, magnetic separator, electromagnetic heater, pulverizer, and air separator are all connected by vacuum conveying pipes and hydrocyclones to complete material conveying.

[0007] In one embodiment, the waste battery shredder unit includes a shredder and a hammer crusher connected in sequence. The secondary dismantling of the waste batteries through shredding and hammer crushing allows for better separation of the battery components, facilitating subsequent processing.

[0008] In one embodiment, the diaphragm processing line includes an electromagnetic heater. Processing the air-separated diaphragm with an electromagnetic heater not only results in low energy consumption but also enables efficient and rapid collection of positive charge powder.

[0009] The present invention provides a method for the treatment and recycling of used batteries while they are charged, comprising the following steps:

[0010] 1) The crushed waste battery raw materials are transported to the top feed inlet of the air classifier via a hydrocyclone and vacuum conveying pipe. The raw materials pass through the four-stage air classifier, the eight- to ten-stage air classifier, and the airless box in sequence. During this process, the four-stage air classifier first air classifies the diaphragm and sends it to the diaphragm processing line to recover the positive electrode powder via a hydrocyclone and vacuum conveying pipe. Then, the eight- to ten-stage air classifier air classifies the positive and negative electrode sheets and sends them to the magnetic separator via a hydrocyclone and vacuum conveying pipe. Finally, the remaining shells fall into the shell collection box under the action of gravity and are packaged and recycled.

[0011] 2) The magnetic separator separates the positive and negative electrode sheets into positive and negative electrode sheets, which are then fed into the positive electrode sheet recycling production line and the negative electrode sheet recycling production line by a hydrocyclone and a vacuum conveying pipe, respectively.

[0012] 3) The positive electrode sheet separated by magnetic separation in step 2) is first fed into an electromagnetic heater by a hydrocyclone and a vacuum conveying pipe to break the bonding structure of the positive electrode sheet. Then it is fed into a pulverizer by a hydrocyclone and a vacuum conveying pipe to be pulverized. Finally, it is fed into an air classifier by a hydrocyclone and a vacuum conveying pipe to separate aluminum material and positive electrode powder. The aluminum material is recycled and reused, and the positive electrode powder is collected and subjected to subsequent environmental protection treatment.

[0013] 4) The negative electrode sheet separated by magnetic separation in step 2) is first directly fed into a crusher by a hydrocyclone and a vacuum conveying pipe, and then fed into an air classifier by a hydrocyclone and a vacuum conveying pipe to separate copper material and negative electrode powder. The copper material is recycled and reused, and the negative electrode powder is collected and subjected to subsequent environmental protection treatment.

[0014] In one embodiment, the waste battery raw material is either lithium iron phosphate (LFP) waste batteries or ternary lithium battery waste batteries. This invention can process and recycle LFP or ternary lithium battery waste batteries by adjusting the magnetic force of the magnetic separator, achieving multi-purpose functionality and reducing equipment investment costs.

[0015] Preferably, the raw material to be processed is waste lithium iron phosphate batteries, and the magnetic force setting of the magnetic separator is 8000-12000.

[0016] Preferably, the raw material to be processed is ternary lithium batteries, and the magnetic force setting of the magnetic separator is 20000.

[0017] Advantages and beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0018] This invention's recycling system uses a multi-stage air separator to separate the separators, positive and negative electrodes, and casings of broken waste batteries in one step. Subsequent processing lines then complete the processing and recycling of all materials, simplifying the process, improving production efficiency, and reducing production costs. Furthermore, all recycling and processing equipment in this system is connected by vacuum conveying pipes and transported via hydrocyclones. This ensures that the raw materials are transported primarily under vacuum, and the swirling air from the hydrocyclones cools the materials during transport, effectively preventing potential hazards from material discharge. It also overcomes the water pollution caused by salt water immersion discharge and the air pollution from dust generated during conveyor belt transport, better meeting the requirements of environmentally friendly production.

[0019] The present invention's processing and recycling method not only realizes the charging and recycling of waste batteries, but also comprehensively processes and recycles aluminum, copper, electrode powder, and casings in waste batteries, avoiding resource waste and pollution. At the same time, it has low energy consumption, high efficiency, small investment in processing equipment, and simple maintenance and low cost. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a system block diagram of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0021] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, a more complete description will be given below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings. However, the invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete.

[0022] It should be noted that when a component is considered to be "set" or "connected" to another component, it can be directly set or connected to another component or there may be an intervening component at the same time.

[0023] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The terminology used in this specification is for descriptive purposes only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention.

[0024] Example 1:

[0025] The waste batteries processed and recycled in this embodiment are lithium iron phosphate batteries.

[0026] like Figure 1 As shown, this charged treatment and recycling system includes an air classifier, a shredder and a hammer crusher connected to the inlet of the air classifier, diaphragm processing lines and positive and negative electrode processing lines connected to each outlet of the air classifier, and a shell collection box correspondingly set at the outlet at the bottom of the air classifier.

[0027] Specifically, the air classifier is a multi-stage air classifier consisting of a four-stage air classifier, an eight- to ten-stage air classifier, and a no-airbox, arranged sequentially from top to bottom and connected to each other. The discharge port of the four-stage air classifier is connected to the diaphragm processing line, the discharge ports of the eight- to ten-stage air classifiers are connected to the positive and negative electrode processing lines, and the discharge port of the no-airbox corresponds to the shell collection box.

[0028] Specifically, the positive and negative electrode processing lines include a magnetic separator with its inlet connected to an air separator, and positive electrode recycling and processing lines connected to the outlets of the magnetic separator, respectively. More specifically, the positive electrode recycling and processing line includes an electromagnetic heater, a pulverizer, and an air separator connected in sequence, while the negative electrode recycling and processing line includes a pulverizer and an air separator connected in sequence.

[0029] Specifically, the diaphragm processing line includes an electromagnetic heater, one end of which is connected to the outlet of the four-stage air classifier, and the other end is connected to the positive electrode powder collection and processing equipment at the end of the positive electrode recycling and processing production line.

[0030] Specifically, the material conveying process is completed through vacuum conveying pipes and hydrocyclones between the inlet of the air separator and the hammer crusher, the outlet of the fourth-stage air separator and the electromagnetic heater of the diaphragm treatment line, and the outlet of the eighth to tenth-stage air separators and the magnetic separator. The material conveying process is also completed through vacuum conveying pipes and hydrocyclones between the magnetic separator and the electromagnetic heater, crusher, and air separator of the positive electrode recycling production line. The material conveying process is also completed through vacuum conveying pipes and hydrocyclones between the magnetic separator and the crusher and air separator of the negative electrode recycling production line.

[0031] The recycling process in this embodiment is as follows:

[0032] 1. Waste battery raw materials, after being crushed twice by a shredder and a hammer crusher, are conveyed to the top feed inlet of the air classifier via a hydrocyclone and a vacuum conveying pipe. The raw materials pass through the four-stage air classifier, the eight- to ten-stage air classifier, and the airless box from top to bottom. During this process, the four-stage air classifier first separates the diaphragm and sends it to the electromagnetic heater for processing and recovery of the positive electrode powder via a hydrocyclone and a vacuum conveying pipe. Then, the eight- to ten-stage air classifier separates the positive and negative electrode sheets and sends them to the magnetic separator via a hydrocyclone and a vacuum conveying pipe. In this example, the air classifier is set to nine stages of airflow. Finally, the remaining shells fall into the shell collection box under the action of gravity and are packaged and recycled.

[0033] 2. The magnetic force setting of the magnetic separator is 10000. It separates the positive and negative electrode sheets into positive and negative electrode sheets, which are then sent to the positive electrode sheet recycling production line and the negative electrode sheet recycling production line by hydrocyclone and vacuum conveying pipe, respectively.

[0034] 3. The positive electrode sheet separated by two magnetic separation steps is first fed into an electromagnetic heater through a hydrocyclone and vacuum conveying pipe to break down the bonding structure of the positive electrode sheet. Then, it is fed into a pulverizer through a hydrocyclone and vacuum conveying pipe to be pulverized. Finally, it is fed into an air classifier through a hydrocyclone and vacuum conveying pipe to separate aluminum material and positive electrode powder. The aluminum material is recycled and reused, and the positive electrode powder is collected and subjected to subsequent environmental protection treatment (the environmental protection equipment and methods adopt existing technology and are not detailed here).

[0035] 4. The negative electrode sheet separated by two magnetic separation steps is first directly fed into a crusher for crushing by a hydrocyclone and a vacuum conveying pipe, and then fed into an air classifier by a hydrocyclone and a vacuum conveying pipe to separate copper material and negative electrode powder. The copper material is recycled and reused, and the negative electrode powder is collected and subjected to subsequent environmental protection treatment (the environmental protection treatment equipment and methods adopt existing technology, which will not be described in detail here).

[0036] The relevant indicators produced by this embodiment are compared with those produced by traditional processing methods as follows:

[0037] Indicator Item Traditional methods This application Energy consumption 800 / h 300 / h efficiency 1T / h 2.5T / h maintain Complex and costly Simple and low cost Fixed investment 16-18 million Within 6 million

[0038] Example 2:

[0039] The waste batteries processed and recycled in this embodiment are ternary lithium batteries. The processing and recycling system and method used are basically the same as those in Embodiment 1. The difference is that the wind force of the eight to ten level air separator is set to level ten, and the magnetic force of the magnetic separator is set to 20000 during processing and recycling.

[0040] The embodiments described herein are merely preferred embodiments of the invention and are not intended to limit the concept and scope of the invention. Any modifications and improvements made by those skilled in the art to the technical solutions of the invention without departing from the design concept of the invention should fall within the protection scope of the invention. The technical content for which protection is sought in this invention has been fully described in the claims.

Claims

1. A system for the live-charged treatment and recycling of used batteries, characterized in that: The system includes an air classifier, a waste battery crushing unit connected to the inlet of the air classifier, diaphragm processing lines and positive and negative electrode sheet processing lines connected to each outlet of the air classifier, and a housing collection box corresponding to the outlet at the bottom of the air classifier. The positive and negative electrode processing line includes a magnetic separator with its inlet connected to an air separator box, and a positive electrode recycling processing line and a negative electrode recycling processing line respectively connected to the outlet of the magnetic separator. The positive electrode recycling processing line includes an electromagnetic heater, a pulverizer and an air separator connected in sequence, and the negative electrode recycling processing line includes a pulverizer and an air separator connected in sequence. The air classifier is a multi-stage air classifier consisting of a four-stage air classifier, an eight- to ten-stage air classifier, and an airless air classifier arranged sequentially from top to bottom and connected in a continuous manner. The discharge port of the four-stage air classifier is connected to the diaphragm processing line, the discharge port of the eight- to ten-stage air classifier is connected to the positive and negative electrode processing line, and the discharge port of the airless air classifier corresponds to the shell collection box. The waste battery crushing unit, air separator, diaphragm treatment line, magnetic separator, electromagnetic heater, pulverizer, and air separator are all connected by vacuum conveying pipes and hydrocyclones to complete material conveying; The waste battery crushing unit includes a shredder and a hammer crusher connected in sequence; The diaphragm processing line includes an electromagnetic heater.

2. A processing and recycling method using the system described in claim 1, characterized in that... Includes the following steps: 1) The crushed waste battery raw materials are transported to the top feed inlet of the air classifier via a hydrocyclone and vacuum conveying pipe. The raw materials pass through the four-stage air classifier, the eight- to ten-stage air classifier, and the airless box in sequence. During this process, the four-stage air classifier first separates the diaphragm and sends it to the diaphragm processing line to recover the positive electrode powder via a hydrocyclone and vacuum conveying pipe. Then, the eight- to ten-stage air classifier separates the positive and negative electrode sheets and sends them to the magnetic separator via a hydrocyclone and vacuum conveying pipe. Finally, the remaining shells fall into the shell collection box under the action of gravity and are packaged and recycled. 2) The magnetic separator separates the positive and negative electrode sheets into positive and negative electrode sheets, which are then fed into the positive electrode sheet recycling production line and the negative electrode sheet recycling production line by a hydrocyclone and a vacuum conveying pipe, respectively. 3) The positive electrode sheet separated by magnetic separation in step 2) is first fed into an electromagnetic heater by a hydrocyclone and a vacuum conveying pipe to break the bonding structure of the positive electrode sheet. Then it is fed into a pulverizer by a hydrocyclone and a vacuum conveying pipe to be pulverized. Finally, it is fed into an air classifier by a hydrocyclone and a vacuum conveying pipe to separate aluminum material and positive electrode powder. The aluminum material is recycled and reused, and the positive electrode powder is collected and subjected to subsequent environmental protection treatment. 4) The negative electrode sheet separated by magnetic separation in step 2) is first directly fed into the pulverizer by a hydrocyclone and vacuum conveying pipe, and then fed into the air classifier by a hydrocyclone and vacuum conveying pipe to separate the copper material and negative electrode powder. The copper material is recycled and reused, and the negative electrode powder is collected and subjected to subsequent environmental protection treatment. The waste battery raw materials mentioned are waste lithium iron phosphate batteries or waste ternary lithium batteries; The magnetic force setting of the magnetic separator for processing waste lithium iron phosphate batteries is 8000-12000. The raw material being processed is ternary lithium batteries, and the magnetic force setting of the magnetic separator is 20000.

Images