A lithium phosphate battery recycling system and method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a lithium phosphate battery recycling system and method, which relates to the field of battery recycling technology, including an intelligent control module, a leaching module, a solvent extraction module and a precipitation separation module, characterized in that: the intelligent control module establishes a control link with the leaching module, the solvent extraction module and the precipitation separation module through a PLC and a SCADA system, the intelligent control module is used to perform intelligent management and control regulation in the recycling system, and the leaching module is used to extract metal ions from the crushed lithium phosphate battery material. The present invention realizes the real-time monitoring and regulation function of the leaching process by designing a dynamic leaching monitoring unit, solves the problem of low leaching efficiency and unstable metal recovery rate caused by lack of monitoring and regulation, improves the control accuracy and efficiency of the leaching process, reduces the consumption of leaching agent, and reduces the environmental impact of waste materials, thereby enhancing the reliability of the overall recycling process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of battery recycling, and in particular to a lithium phosphate battery recycling system and method. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of the global new energy vehicle industry, lithium phosphate batteries, as a type of battery with high safety and long life, are widely used in electric vehicles and energy storage devices. However, with the increase in usage, a large number of waste lithium phosphate batteries are gradually entering the scrap period, which not only brings the risk of environmental pollution, but also poses a severe challenge to the waste of resources. Traditional lithium phosphate battery processing methods often have problems such as low recovery rate, complex process, and high cost, which are difficult to meet the dual requirements of modern industry for environmental protection and economic benefits.

[0003] Therefore, this application proposes a lithium phosphate battery recycling system and method, aiming to provide a lithium phosphate battery recycling solution with high recovery rate and low environmental impact to cope with future resource shortages and environmental protection needs. The design of this system not only focuses on how to efficiently recycle valuable metals in batteries, but also strives to minimize energy consumption and waste emissions in each process link to achieve sustainable development.

[0004] 1. Patent document CN109207730B discloses a method and system for recovering lithium from waste lithium iron phosphate batteries. The above patent uses ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis combined technology, which has the characteristics of simple and environmentally friendly process, low acid and alkali usage, good and stable membrane separation effect, etc. However, the above patent cannot realize the real-time monitoring and adjustment function of the leaching process.

[0005] 2. Patent document CN104628207B discloses a method and system for resource-based treatment of wastewater from the production of positive electrode materials for lithium batteries. The above patent achieves low-cost dephosphorization and ammonia recovery. The obtained calcium phosphate and high-purity concentrated ammonia water can be recycled. The process is stable and basically scale-free. However, the above patent cannot achieve effective distinction and separation and extraction of different metals.

[0006] 3. Patent document CN116111226B discloses a lithium iron phosphate battery recycling and processing leaching device and its use method. The above patent facilitates multiple leaching treatments without the need for additional pumping devices and pipeline connection structures, and is more flexible and convenient to adjust and use. However, the above patent cannot achieve the precipitation and separation function of metal ions.

[0007] 4. Patent document CN108390119B discloses a recycling method for lithium iron phosphate / ternary lithium titanate batteries. The above patent realizes chemical reactions based on simple physical properties and acid-base precipitation. The method is simple, easy to implement, and suitable for industrial production. However, the above patent cannot realize the coordinated control function of the recycling process.

[0008] In summary, the above patents cannot realize the real-time monitoring and adjustment function of the leaching process, the effective distinction and separation and extraction of different metals, the precipitation and separation function of metal ions, and the coordinated control function of the recycling process, resulting in low efficiency of battery resource recovery, low resource recycling rate, great environmental pollution and failure to meet the requirements of environmental protection and green development;

[0009] To this end, the present application proposes a lithium phosphate battery recycling system and method that can realize real-time monitoring and regulation of the leaching process, effective distinction and separation extraction of different metals, precipitation and separation of metal ions, and coordinated control of the recycling process. Summary of the invention

[0010] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a lithium phosphate battery recovery system and method to solve the technical problems proposed in the above background technology that the real-time monitoring and adjustment function of the leaching process, the effective distinction and separation extraction of different metals, the precipitation and separation function of metal ions and the coordinated control function of the recovery process cannot be realized, resulting in low battery resource recovery efficiency, low resource recycling rate, great environmental pollution and failure to meet the requirements of environmental protection and green development.

[0011] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: a lithium phosphate battery recovery system, comprising an intelligent control module, a leaching module, a solvent extraction module and a precipitation separation module, wherein the intelligent control module establishes a control link with the leaching module, the solvent extraction module and the precipitation separation module through a PLC and a SCADA system, the intelligent control module is used for intelligent management and control and regulation in the recovery system, and the leaching module is used for extracting lithium, copper and zinc metal ions from the crushed lithium phosphate battery material;

[0012] The leaching module includes: an acid leaching unit, a dynamic leaching monitoring unit and a residue filtering unit;

[0013] The acid leaching unit introduces microbubble-assisted leaching technology, and uses dilute sulfuric acid / dilute hydrochloric acid to leach the material. The leaching process is carried out in a stirred tank and the temperature is controlled at 60-80°C.

[0014] The dynamic leaching monitoring unit is equipped with sensors and an automatic control system to monitor the key parameters of the pH value, temperature, dissolved oxygen content and metal ion concentration of the leaching solution in real time, and dynamically adjust the parameters through the PLC system in the intelligent control module. The automatic control system has a self-learning function and optimizes the leaching parameters according to historical data;

[0015] The residue filtering unit introduces a self-cleaning filtering system, including backwashing and ultrasonic vibration technology, and adopts a multi-stage filtering system to remove large particles of residue through coarse filtration and small particles of residue through fine filtration.

[0016] Preferably, the solvent extraction module is used to separate and extract lithium, copper and zinc metal ions from the leachate;

[0017] The solvent extraction module includes: a solvent selection unit, a selective solvent extraction unit and a solvent recovery unit;

[0018] The solvent selection unit selects organic solvents for solvent extraction based on polarity, solubility and selectivity according to the chemical properties of lithium, copper and zinc metal ions, and dynamically adjusts the solvent combination through a multifunctional solvent mixing system;

[0019] The selective solvent extraction unit introduces selective solvent extraction technology to ensure that lithium, copper and zinc metal ions are extracted by precisely controlling the polarity, temperature, pH value and flow rate of the solvent. It also uses nanoporous membrane separation technology to reduce the entry of impurities into the solvent system through the synergistic effect of the solvent and the membrane.

[0020] The solvent recovery unit uses vacuum distillation technology to recover solvents under low temperature conditions, and recovers used solvents through distillation and condensation technology to ensure solvent purity and reuse rate.

[0021] Preferably, the precipitation separation module is used to separate lithium, copper and zinc metal ions from the extract to form a recyclable metal precipitate;

[0022] The precipitation separation module includes: a precipitation reaction unit, a high-efficiency precipitation separation unit and a precipitation washing unit;

[0023] The precipitation reaction unit introduces ultrasonic assisted precipitation technology;

[0024] The efficient precipitation separation unit combines magnetic separation technology to introduce a magnetic field into the separator, so that the precipitates of lithium, copper and zinc metal ions are quickly separated under the action of the magnetic field. High-speed centrifugal separation technology is used to quickly separate the precipitate from the liquid through high-speed rotation.

[0025] The precipitate washing unit introduces an ultrapure water circulation system to ensure the quality of washing water. Through the continuous flow washing system, deionized water / dilute acid is used to wash the precipitate to remove soluble impurities in the precipitate and ensure the purity of the metal precipitate.

[0026] Preferably, the recycling system is also designed with a pre-processing module, which is used to perform preliminary processing on the discarded lithium phosphate batteries;

[0027] The pretreatment module includes: a waste battery separation unit, a high temperature drying unit and an oxidation treatment unit;

[0028] The waste battery separation unit uses mechanical separation equipment to separate the shell, plastic and electrolyte impurities in the waste lithium phosphate battery from the battery active materials. Vibrating screens and electrostatic separation technology are used to effectively separate fine particles from bulk materials. Electromagnetic field-assisted separation is introduced during the mechanical separation process to make the separation process more efficient.

[0029] The high-temperature drying unit uses high-temperature drying equipment to heat the separated materials to 150-200°C to remove moisture and volatile organic matter from the materials. The heating process adopts indirect heating and introduces infrared heating technology to ensure uniform heating of the surface and interior of the materials.

[0030] The oxidation treatment unit uses pulsed oxygen delivery technology to oxidize the dried material under a controlled atmosphere.

[0031] Preferably, the dried material flows to a crushing module, which is used to further crush the pre-treated material to a particle size required by the process;

[0032] The crushing module includes: a coarse crushing unit, a medium crushing unit and a fine crushing unit;

[0033] The coarse crushing unit uses a large jaw crusher to crush the pre-treated battery materials into coarse particles with a particle size of 1-2 mm;

[0034] The medium crushing unit further crushes the coarse granular material into 300 micron particles through a medium-sized ball mill. The frequency conversion control technology is used to dynamically adjust the speed of the ball mill according to the hardness and particle size requirements of the material.

[0035] The micro-crushing unit uses air flow crushing equipment to further crush the material into micro-powders below 50 microns, introduces a multi-stage grading system, monitors and adjusts the particle size distribution after crushing in real time to ensure particle consistency and uniformity.

[0036] Preferably, the metal material obtained in the precipitation and separation module flows into the regeneration module, and the regeneration module regenerates the metal material to reach a quality standard that can be reused;

[0037] The regeneration module includes: a regeneration heat treatment unit, a chemical regeneration unit and a physical regeneration unit;

[0038] The regenerative heat treatment unit uses segmented heating technology to heat treat the precipitate at high temperature. The temperature is controlled at 500-700℃. The heat treatment process is carried out in an inert gas environment. The grain growth of the material is controlled by gradually increasing and decreasing the temperature.

[0039] The chemical regeneration unit introduces electrochemical regeneration technology to induce chemical reactions by applying current on the material surface, and uses nitrate chemicals to treat the regenerated materials to adjust the oxidation state of the regenerated materials / restore electrochemical activity;

[0040] The physical regeneration unit restores the physical properties of the recycled material through mechanical methods and improves the surface morphology of the recycled material.

[0041] Preferably, the regenerated material enters a purification module for further purification;

[0042] The purification module includes: chemical purification unit, physical purification unit and purity detection unit;

[0043] The chemical purification unit uses chemical methods to remove residual impurities in the recycled materials. It has developed a multi-step recrystallization technology to gradually separate impurities by controlling the type, concentration and temperature of the dissolved substances.

[0044] The physical purification unit uses physical separation technology to accurately classify particles in the recycled material, and adopts plasma-assisted purification technology to promote the separation and removal of impurities by changing the energy state of the material surface;

[0045] The purity detection unit uses detection equipment to detect the composition and purity of the purified materials, introduces an automated detection system, analyzes material changes during the purification process in real time, and provides instant feedback to adjust the purification process.

[0046] Preferably, the recycling system is also designed with a wastewater treatment module, which is used to treat the wastewater generated during the recycling process;

[0047] The wastewater treatment module includes: a neutralization treatment unit, a sedimentation treatment unit and a wastewater recycling unit;

[0048] The neutralization treatment unit uses alkaline substances to neutralize the acidic wastewater generated during the leaching and extraction process. A continuous flow neutralization system is introduced to automatically control the amount of alkaline agent added to achieve precise control of the pH value, thereby reducing the time and cost of the neutralization reaction;

[0049] The precipitation treatment unit adds a precipitant to the neutralized wastewater to promote the formation of precipitates from heavy metal ions in the wastewater, and uses ultrasonic assisted precipitation technology to enhance the speed and effect of the precipitation reaction;

[0050] The wastewater recycling unit purifies the treated wastewater through a multi-stage filtration and membrane separation system to meet the reuse standards for use in the system's pretreatment and leaching processes, and introduces a reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membrane combination system to improve water recovery rate and quality.

[0051] Preferably, the recovery method comprises the following steps:

[0052] S1. Waste lithium phosphate batteries are pre-treated by mechanical separation, drying and oxidation to obtain pure battery active materials;

[0053] S2, the battery active materials are crushed into micron-sized particles by the crushing module, providing the best surface area for the leaching process;

[0054] S3. Under the control of the dynamic monitoring system, the leaching module uses an acidic solution to leach the battery active material to extract the target metal;

[0055] S4. Lithium, copper and zinc metal ions are accurately extracted from the leachate through the solvent extraction module, and the solvent is recovered.

[0056] Preferably, the recovery method further comprises the following steps:

[0057] S5. Using precipitation separation technology in the precipitation separation module to obtain a high-purity metal precipitate, and washing and further separating the metal precipitate;

[0058] S6. After the metal precipitate is subjected to heat treatment, chemical treatment and physical treatment in the regeneration module, the original physical and chemical properties are restored;

[0059] S7, the regenerated material goes through multiple steps of chemical and physical purification in the purification module to meet the standards for industrial applications;

[0060] S8. The wastewater generated in the system is neutralized and precipitated by the wastewater treatment module, and then circulated into the system for reuse.

[0061] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0062] 1. The present invention realizes the real-time monitoring and adjustment function of the leaching process by designing a dynamic leaching monitoring unit, solves the problem of low leaching efficiency and unstable metal recovery rate caused by lack of monitoring and adjustment, improves the control accuracy and efficiency of the leaching process, ensures the maximum extraction of valuable metal ions in the leachate, reduces the consumption of leaching agent, reduces the environmental impact of waste generation, and enhances the reliability of the overall recovery process;

[0063] 2. The present invention realizes effective distinction and separation of different metals by designing a selective solvent extraction unit, solves the problems of poor metal extraction selectivity and separation difficulties, significantly improves the extraction purity of the target metal, reduces the complexity of subsequent separation and purification, improves the metal recovery efficiency and the quality of the final product, reduces the amount of solvent used and the cost of waste liquid treatment, and optimizes the economy and environmental protection of the entire recovery system;

[0064] 3. The present invention realizes the precipitation and separation function of metal ions by designing a high-efficiency precipitation and separation unit, solves the problems of incomplete precipitation and incomplete separation, improves the precipitation efficiency and recovery rate of metal ions, reduces the loss of valuable metals, and makes it easier for subsequent treatment liquid to meet the discharge standards or reuse requirements;

[0065] 4. The present invention realizes the coordinated control function of the recycling process by designing an intelligent control module, solves the problem of parameter mismatch between modules, reduces the error of manual intervention, and optimizes the overall recycling process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0066] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the recovery method flow of the recovery system of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0067] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0068] See also Figure 1 , an embodiment provided by the present invention: a lithium phosphate battery recovery system, comprising an intelligent control module, a leaching module, a solvent extraction module and a precipitation separation module, wherein the intelligent control module establishes a control link with the leaching module, the solvent extraction module and the precipitation separation module through a PLC and a SCADA system, the intelligent control module is used for intelligent management and control regulation in the recovery system, and the leaching module is used for extracting lithium, copper and zinc metal ions from the crushed lithium phosphate battery material;

[0069] The leaching module includes: an acid leaching unit, a dynamic leaching monitoring unit and a residue filtering unit;

[0070] The acid leaching unit introduces microbubble-assisted leaching technology, and uses dilute sulfuric acid / dilute hydrochloric acid to leach the material. The leaching process is carried out in a stirred tank and the temperature is controlled at 60-80°C.

[0071] The dynamic leaching monitoring unit is equipped with sensors and an automatic control system to monitor the key parameters of the pH value, temperature, dissolved oxygen content and metal ion concentration of the leaching solution in real time, and dynamically adjust the parameters through the PLC system in the intelligent control module. The automatic control system has a self-learning function and optimizes the leaching parameters according to historical data;

[0072] The residue filtration unit introduces a self-cleaning filtration system, including backwashing and ultrasonic vibration technology, and adopts a multi-stage filtration system to remove large particles of residue through coarse filtration and small particles of residue through fine filtration;

[0073] Furthermore, the pre-treated active materials of lithium phosphate batteries are sent to the leaching reactor. Under the management of the intelligent control module, the system automatically selects and injects an appropriate amount of acidic leaching agent (such as sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, etc.) according to the real-time monitoring of material composition, temperature, acidity (pH) and other data. The intelligent control module can analyze historical data and current reaction conditions through AI algorithms, adjust the concentration and volume of the leaching agent to achieve the best leaching effect, start the leaching reactor, and the leaching agent reacts chemically with the active ingredients in the battery material. Lithium, lithium, copper and zinc metal ions dissolve from the solid material into the liquid phase. The intelligent control module monitors key parameters such as reaction temperature, stirring speed, leaching time in real time, and optimizes the reaction rate and the amount of metal ion dissolution by dynamically adjusting the reaction conditions (such as heating and stirring speed). The dynamic leaching monitoring system in the intelligent control module uses high-precision sensors to collect data in the reaction process in real time, including solution pH, metal ion concentration, temperature, etc. The data is processed in real time through edge computing technology, and the progress of the reaction is predicted through AI algorithms. Based on these predictions, the system automatically adjusts the leaching conditions, such as adding more leaching agents or adjusting the reaction temperature, to further optimize the leaching efficiency. After the leaching is completed, the leachate (including dissolved metal ions) is extracted from the reactor and sent to the subsequent solvent extraction module for further processing. The solid residue is separated and processed by the filter device. The entire process is coordinated and dispatched by the intelligent control module to ensure the continuity of material flow and the efficient operation of the process.

[0074] See also Figure 1 , an embodiment provided by the present invention: a lithium phosphate battery recovery system, wherein the solvent extraction module is used to separate and extract lithium, copper and zinc metal ions from the leachate;

[0075] The solvent extraction module includes: a solvent selection unit, a selective solvent extraction unit and a solvent recovery unit;

[0076] The solvent selection unit selects organic solvents for solvent extraction based on polarity, solubility and selectivity according to the chemical properties of lithium, copper and zinc metal ions, and dynamically adjusts the solvent combination through a multifunctional solvent mixing system;

[0077] The selective solvent extraction unit introduces selective solvent extraction technology to ensure that lithium, copper and zinc metal ions are extracted by precisely controlling the polarity, temperature, pH value and flow rate of the solvent. It also uses nanoporous membrane separation technology to reduce the entry of impurities into the solvent system through the synergistic effect of the solvent and the membrane.

[0078] The solvent recovery unit uses vacuum distillation technology to recover solvents under low temperature conditions, and recovers used solvents through distillation and condensation technology to ensure solvent purity and reuse rate;

[0079] The precipitation separation module is used to separate lithium, copper and zinc metal ions from the extract to form a recyclable metal precipitate;

[0080] The precipitation separation module includes: a precipitation reaction unit, a high-efficiency precipitation separation unit and a precipitation washing unit;

[0081] The precipitation reaction unit introduces ultrasonic assisted precipitation technology;

[0082] The efficient precipitation separation unit combines magnetic separation technology to introduce a magnetic field into the separator, so that the precipitates of lithium, copper and zinc metal ions are quickly separated under the action of the magnetic field. High-speed centrifugal separation technology is used to quickly separate the precipitate from the liquid through high-speed rotation.

[0083] The precipitate washing unit introduces an ultrapure water circulation system to ensure the quality of washing water. Through the continuous flow washing system, deionized water / dilute acid is used to wash the precipitate to remove soluble impurities in the precipitate and ensure the purity of the metal precipitate.

[0084] Furthermore, after the leaching module is completed, the leachate containing metal ions is directly transported to the solvent extraction module. At this time, the solution mainly contains dissolved lithium ions and lithium, copper and zinc metal ions, and impurities and residues have been filtered out. In the solvent extraction module, the leachate is fully mixed with an organic solvent (such as tributyl phosphate or N-octylbenzenesulfonic acid extractant). The intelligent control module automatically adjusts the amount of solvent added, temperature and stirring speed according to real-time monitoring data to optimize the extraction efficiency of metal ions. After the solvent extraction reaction is completed, the system separates the organic phase (solvent containing metal complexes) from the aqueous phase (remaining leachate) by gravity or centrifugal force. The intelligent control module monitors the separation process of the two phases in real time to ensure that the separation is thorough and no excess impurities remain;

[0085] The metal complex solution extracted from the solvent phase is transported to the precipitation separation module. At this point, the solution has been enriched with the target metal ions and is ready for precipitation reaction. The intelligent control module automatically selects the appropriate precipitant and adjusts the reaction conditions according to the composition and state of the solution. In the precipitation separation module, a precipitant (such as sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate or sulfide) is added to the solution rich in metal complexes to initiate the precipitation reaction. The intelligent control module monitors the pH value, temperature and ion concentration of the precipitation reaction in real time to ensure the effective precipitation of metal ions. The precipitate generated by the reaction is separated from the solution by gravity sedimentation, centrifugation or filtration technology. The intelligent control module adjusts the operating parameters of the separation equipment to ensure the separation purity and efficiency of the precipitate. The separated precipitate is washed with deionized water or dilute acid to remove residual impurities.

[0086] See also Figure 1 , an embodiment provided by the present invention: a lithium phosphate battery recycling system, wherein the recycling system is further designed with a pre-processing module, the pre-processing module is used to perform preliminary processing on the waste lithium phosphate batteries;

[0087] The pretreatment module includes: a waste battery separation unit, a high temperature drying unit and an oxidation treatment unit;

[0088] The waste battery separation unit uses mechanical separation equipment to separate the shell, plastic and electrolyte impurities in the waste lithium phosphate battery from the battery active materials. Vibrating screens and electrostatic separation technology are used to effectively separate fine particles from bulk materials. Electromagnetic field-assisted separation is introduced during the mechanical separation process to make the separation process more efficient.

[0089] The high-temperature drying unit uses high-temperature drying equipment to heat the separated materials to 150-200°C to remove moisture and volatile organic matter from the materials. The heating process adopts indirect heating and introduces infrared heating technology to ensure uniform heating of the surface and interior of the materials.

[0090] The oxidation treatment unit uses pulsed oxygen delivery technology to oxidize the dried material under a controlled atmosphere;

[0091] The dried material flows to a crushing module, which is used to further crush the pre-treated material to a particle size required by the process;

[0092] The crushing module includes: a coarse crushing unit, a medium crushing unit and a fine crushing unit;

[0093] The coarse crushing unit uses a large jaw crusher to crush the pre-treated battery materials into coarse particles with a particle size of 1-2 mm;

[0094] The medium crushing unit further crushes the coarse granular material into 300 micron particles through a medium-sized ball mill. The frequency conversion control technology is used to dynamically adjust the speed of the ball mill according to the hardness and particle size requirements of the material.

[0095] The micro-crushing unit uses air flow crushing equipment to further crush the material into micro powders below 50 microns, and introduces a multi-level classification system to monitor and adjust the particle size distribution after crushing in real time to ensure particle consistency and uniformity;

[0096] Furthermore, using optical and X-ray detection technology, the system automatically identifies and classifies different types of batteries. The intelligent control module monitors the sorting process in real time and adjusts the sorting standards to cope with the differences in the composition of different batches of batteries. The sorted batteries are transferred to the mechanical disassembly device for physical separation. This process includes cutting and peeling the battery casing, disassembling the electrode material, etc. The intelligent control module adjusts the strength and speed of the disassembly equipment to ensure the integrity and separation effect of the material. Under the control of the intelligent control module, the battery material enters the high-temperature drying device, which is usually set at a temperature of 150-200°C. The water and organic matter are evaporated by slowly heating up. The battery material is sent to the oxidation furnace and undergoes oxidation reaction at a high temperature of 300-500°C. By controlling the flow of oxygen or air, the intelligent control module adjusts the intensity and time of the oxidation process to ensure that the organic matter in the material is fully oxidized, while avoiding excessive oxidation and metal loss;

[0097] The battery material is fed into a large jaw crusher and crushed by a high-speed rotating hammer or blade. The intelligent control module monitors the speed, feed rate and particle size of the crusher in real time to ensure that the material is evenly crushed to coarse particles of 1-2 mm. The medium-sized ball mill is used to medium-crush the material to particles of 300 microns. The intelligent control module adjusts the speed and grinding pressure of the equipment according to the hardness and brittleness of the material to obtain uniform medium-crushed particles. The material is further refined to micro-powders below 50 microns using ultra-fine crushing equipment such as air flow mills or ball mills. During the entire crushing process, the intelligent control module dynamically adjusts the operating parameters of the equipment, such as air flow speed, grinding time, etc., to achieve a uniform micro-crushing effect.

[0098] See also Figure 1 , an embodiment provided by the present invention: a lithium phosphate battery recycling system, wherein the metal material obtained in the precipitation separation module flows into the regeneration module, and the regeneration module regenerates the metal material to reach a quality standard that can be reused;

[0099] The regeneration module includes: a regeneration heat treatment unit, a chemical regeneration unit and a physical regeneration unit;

[0100] The regenerative heat treatment unit uses segmented heating technology to heat treat the precipitate at high temperature. The temperature is controlled at 500-700℃. The heat treatment process is carried out in an inert gas environment. The grain growth of the material is controlled by gradually increasing and decreasing the temperature.

[0101] The chemical regeneration unit introduces electrochemical regeneration technology to induce chemical reactions by applying current on the material surface, and uses nitrate chemicals to treat the regenerated materials to adjust the oxidation state of the regenerated materials / restore electrochemical activity;

[0102] The physical regeneration unit restores the physical properties of the recycled material through mechanical methods and improves the surface morphology of the recycled material;

[0103] Furthermore, the recovered metal precipitate first enters a high-temperature roasting furnace. Under the control of the intelligent control module, the roasting temperature is usually set at 500-700°C. The specific temperature is adjusted according to the properties of the material and the required regeneration effect. The atmosphere during the roasting process can be an oxidizing atmosphere or a reducing atmosphere, depending on the characteristics of the treated material. The roasted material is dissolved in an appropriate solvent (such as an acid or alkaline solvent) to separate the target metal ions, and then the target metal is separated in the form of a high-purity precipitate by adjusting the pH value of the solution or heating the acidic precipitant. For metal compounds that need to be reduced (such as oxides), a reducing agent (such as hydrogen, carbon or metal powder) is added to perform a reduction reaction under the control of the intelligent control module. During the reduction process, the reaction temperature and the reducing agent concentration are controlled in real time by the intelligent control module to ensure the completeness of the reduction process and the high purity of the metal; after the material is heat treated and chemically regenerated, for materials containing magnetic metals, they are separated from non-magnetic impurities by magnetic separation equipment. The intelligent control module monitors the magnetic field strength and material flow rate, and dynamically adjusts the magnetic separation conditions to ensure separation efficiency. After that, the material may be further classified by airflow classification or screening technology to obtain products of different particle sizes. The surface properties of the material are crucial to its reusability. Through physical methods such as sandblasting, polishing or coating, the intelligent control module controls the entire process to improve the surface finish, roughness or surface chemical properties of the material to make it suitable for reuse scenarios.

[0104] See also Figure 1 , an embodiment provided by the present invention: a lithium phosphate battery recycling system, wherein the regenerated material enters a purification module for further purification;

[0105] The purification module includes: chemical purification unit, physical purification unit and purity detection unit;

[0106] The chemical purification unit uses chemical methods to remove residual impurities in the recycled materials. It has developed a multi-step recrystallization technology to gradually separate impurities by controlling the type, concentration and temperature of the dissolved substances.

[0107] The physical purification unit uses physical separation technology to accurately classify particles in the recycled material, and adopts plasma-assisted purification technology to promote the separation and removal of impurities by changing the energy state of the material surface;

[0108] The purity detection unit uses detection equipment to detect the composition and purity of the purified materials, introduces an automated detection system, analyzes material changes during the purification process in real time, and provides instant feedback to adjust the purification process;

[0109] Furthermore, according to the chemical properties of the impurities and the target components, an acidic reagent is added to preferentially dissolve or precipitate the impurities or the target components. For example, the impurities in the metal solution are separated from the solution by forming insoluble compounds by adding a precipitant. The intelligent control module monitors the reaction process in real time according to the composition of the solution, and adjusts the amount of reagent added and the reaction conditions. For certain metals or impurities, the redox potential is adjusted by controlling the amount of oxidant or reductant added and the reaction time to selectively oxidize or reduce the impurities. The intelligent control module ensures precise control of the reaction conditions and maximizes the purity of the target components through a potential controller and online monitoring equipment. In the liquid phase system, the separation of impurities is achieved by using liquid-liquid extraction or ion exchange methods and utilizing the selective adsorption characteristics of different substances to solvents or ions. The intelligent control module controls the type, proportion and operating parameters of the extractant to optimize the separation effect;

[0110] Through selective filtration or ultrafiltration technology, tiny particle impurities in the solution are filtered out. The intelligent control module adjusts the pore size and operating conditions of the filter membrane according to the particle size and the flow rate of the solution to ensure that the impurities are effectively separated. For components with different boiling points, they are separated by distillation technology. The intelligent control module controls the heating rate, condensation temperature and operating parameters of the distillation column to ensure the effective separation of high-boiling point and low-boiling point components. By controlling the temperature to reduce the saturation of the solution, the target material is prompted to crystallize and thus separated from the impurities in the solution. The intelligent control module optimizes the efficiency of the crystallization process and the purity of the product by monitoring the temperature, stirring speed and cooling rate;

[0111] The purity detection unit uses high-precision analytical instruments such as mass spectrometers, X-ray fluorescence spectrometers, ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry), etc. to perform quantitative analysis of trace impurities in the material. The test results are used to evaluate the effect of the purification process and guide subsequent purification steps.

[0112] See also Figure 1 , an embodiment provided by the present invention: a lithium phosphate battery recycling system, wherein the recycling system is further designed with a wastewater treatment module, the wastewater treatment module is used to treat wastewater generated during the recycling process;

[0113] The wastewater treatment module includes: a neutralization treatment unit, a sedimentation treatment unit and a wastewater recycling unit;

[0114] The neutralization treatment unit uses alkaline substances to neutralize the acidic wastewater generated during the leaching and extraction process. A continuous flow neutralization system is introduced to automatically control the amount of alkaline agent added to achieve precise control of the pH value, thereby reducing the time and cost of the neutralization reaction;

[0115] The precipitation treatment unit adds a precipitant to the neutralized wastewater to promote the formation of precipitates from heavy metal ions in the wastewater, and uses ultrasonic assisted precipitation technology to enhance the speed and effect of the precipitation reaction;

[0116] The wastewater recycling unit purifies the treated wastewater through a multi-stage filtration and membrane separation system to meet the reuse standards for use in the system's pretreatment and leaching processes, introducing a reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membrane combination system to improve water recovery and quality;

[0117] Furthermore, when the wastewater enters the neutralization treatment unit, it is first monitored online by a pH sensor. The intelligent control module automatically calculates the required amount of neutralizing reagent based on the real-time monitored pH value. Based on the measurement result of the pH value, the intelligent control module controls the amount of acidic or alkaline reagent added, usually using common reagents such as sulfuric acid or sodium hydroxide. The reagent is accurately delivered to the wastewater through the pipeline system and quickly reacts with the components in the wastewater. Under the control of the intelligent control module, the wastewater and the neutralizing reagent are fully mixed to allow the acid-base reaction to proceed rapidly. The stirring speed and time of the mixer are adjusted by the intelligent control module to ensure the completeness of the reaction. The pH value of the neutralized wastewater is tested again to ensure that it meets the appropriate treatment standards;

[0118] The intelligent control module accurately calculates and automatically adds the appropriate amount of precipitant (such as lime, sodium sulfide or polyaluminum) according to the composition of the wastewater and the type of pollutants. The precipitant is delivered to the wastewater through a precision metering pump to react with the metal ions or suspended matter therein. In the precipitation reactor, the wastewater and the precipitant are fully mixed, and the metal ions react with the precipitant to form insoluble precipitates. These precipitates gradually increase in size and settle to the bottom of the reactor under the action of gravity. The intelligent control module monitors the temperature, reaction time and stirring speed during the precipitation process in real time to optimize the precipitation effect. The precipitate generated by the reaction is separated from the water by sedimentation or centrifugal separation technology. The separated clear liquid enters the next treatment unit, while the precipitate is regularly removed or further processed to recover the valuable metals therein;

[0119] The wastewater first passes through a multi-stage filtration system to gradually remove tiny suspended particles and residual sediments. The intelligent control module dynamically adjusts the cleaning cycle and replacement time of the filter medium according to the pressure and flow of the filter to maintain the filtration efficiency. The filtered wastewater enters the adsorber and removes organic pollutants and some metal ions in the water through activated carbon or other adsorption materials. The intelligent control module monitors the saturation of the adsorption material in real time, regenerates or replaces it in time to ensure the adsorption effect. The wastewater treated by adsorption is then separated by ultrafiltration or reverse osmosis membrane separation technology to further remove soluble substances so that the water quality meets the standards for recycling. The intelligent control module controls the operating pressure, flow and cleaning cycle of the membrane to ensure the separation efficiency and service life of the membrane. The treated water is finally transported back to the production process to achieve the recycling of wastewater.

[0120] Working principle: First, the used batteries are separated, dried and oxidized through the pretreatment module to remove surface pollutants and destroy the battery structure. Then, the crushing module crushes the batteries into different particle sizes to facilitate subsequent extraction and separation operations. The solvent extraction module uses organic solvents to extract lithium, copper and zinc metal ions from the crushed battery materials, and then precipitates these metal ions from the solvent through the precipitation separation module. The regeneration module uses chemical and physical methods to regenerate the extracted metals and restore them to a usable raw material form. The purification module further improves the purity of the recovered metals to ensure that they meet industrial application standards;

[0121] As the last link of the system, the wastewater treatment module treats the wastewater generated during the recycling process through neutralization, precipitation and recycling units. The wastewater first passes through the neutralization treatment unit to adjust the pH value, and then removes metal ions and other pollutants in the precipitation treatment unit. The treated wastewater is then purified by the recycling unit to meet the process water standards and reused in other process processes in the recycling system. This recycling mechanism not only reduces the discharge of wastewater, but also improves the efficiency of resource utilization, achieving a win-win situation of environmental friendliness and economic benefits.

[0122] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential features of the invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered exemplary and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims be included in the invention. Any reference numeral in a claim should not be considered as limiting the claim to which it relates.

Claims

1. A lithium phosphate battery recycling system, comprising an intelligent control module, a leaching module, a solvent extraction module and a precipitation separation module, characterized in that: The intelligent control module establishes a control link with the leaching module, the solvent extraction module and the precipitation separation module through the PLC and SCADA system. The intelligent control module is used to perform intelligent management and control in the recovery system. The leaching module is used to extract lithium, copper and zinc metal ions from the crushed lithium phosphate battery material; The leaching module includes: an acid leaching unit, a dynamic leaching monitoring unit and a residue filtering unit; The acid leaching unit introduces microbubble-assisted leaching technology, and uses dilute sulfuric acid / dilute hydrochloric acid to leach the material. The leaching process is carried out in a stirred tank and the temperature is controlled at 60-80°C. The dynamic leaching monitoring unit is equipped with sensors and an automatic control system to monitor the key parameters of the pH value, temperature, dissolved oxygen content and metal ion concentration of the leaching solution in real time, and dynamically adjust the parameters through the PLC system in the intelligent control module. The automatic control system has a self-learning function and optimizes the leaching parameters according to historical data; The residue filtration unit introduces a self-cleaning filtration system, including backwashing and ultrasonic vibration technology, and adopts a multi-stage filtration system to remove large particles of residue through coarse filtration and small particles of residue through fine filtration; The solvent extraction module is used to separate and extract lithium, copper and zinc metal ions from the leachate; The solvent extraction module includes: a solvent selection unit, a selective solvent extraction unit and a solvent recovery unit; The solvent selection unit selects organic solvents for solvent extraction based on polarity, solubility and selectivity according to the chemical properties of lithium, copper and zinc metal ions, and dynamically adjusts the solvent combination through a multifunctional solvent mixing system; The selective solvent extraction unit introduces selective solvent extraction technology to ensure that lithium, copper and zinc metal ions are extracted by precisely controlling the polarity, temperature, pH value and flow rate of the solvent. It also uses nanoporous membrane separation technology to reduce the entry of impurities into the solvent system through the synergistic effect of the solvent and the membrane. The solvent recovery unit uses vacuum distillation technology to recover solvents under low temperature conditions, and recovers used solvents through distillation and condensation technology to ensure solvent purity and reuse rate; The precipitation separation module is used to separate lithium, copper and zinc metal ions from the extract to form a recyclable metal precipitate; The precipitation separation module includes: a precipitation reaction unit, a high-efficiency precipitation separation unit and a precipitation washing unit; The precipitation reaction unit introduces ultrasonic assisted precipitation technology; The efficient precipitation separation unit combines magnetic separation technology to introduce a magnetic field into the separator, so that the precipitates of lithium, copper and zinc metal ions are quickly separated under the action of the magnetic field. High-speed centrifugal separation technology is used to quickly separate the precipitate from the liquid through high-speed rotation. The precipitate washing unit introduces an ultrapure water circulation system to ensure the quality of washing water. Through the continuous flow washing system, deionized water / dilute acid is used to wash the precipitate to remove soluble impurities in the precipitate and ensure the purity of the metal precipitate.

2. A lithium phosphate battery recycling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The recycling system is also designed with a pre-processing module, which is used to perform preliminary processing on the discarded lithium phosphate batteries; The pretreatment module includes: a waste battery separation unit, a high temperature drying unit and an oxidation treatment unit; The waste battery separation unit uses mechanical separation equipment to separate the shell, plastic and electrolyte impurities in the waste lithium phosphate battery from the battery active materials. Vibrating screens and electrostatic separation technology are used to effectively separate fine particles from bulk materials. Electromagnetic field-assisted separation is introduced during the mechanical separation process to make the separation process more efficient. The high-temperature drying unit uses high-temperature drying equipment to heat the separated materials to 150-200°C to remove moisture and volatile organic matter from the materials. The heating process adopts indirect heating and introduces infrared heating technology to ensure uniform heating of the surface and interior of the materials. The oxidation treatment unit uses pulsed oxygen delivery technology to oxidize the dried material under a controlled atmosphere.

3. A lithium phosphate battery recycling system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The dried material flows to a crushing module, which is used to further crush the pre-treated material to a particle size required by the process; The crushing module includes: a coarse crushing unit, a medium crushing unit and a fine crushing unit; The coarse crushing unit uses a large jaw crusher to crush the pre-treated battery materials into coarse particles with a particle size of 1-2 mm; The medium crushing unit further crushes the coarse granular material into 300 micron particles through a medium-sized ball mill. The frequency conversion control technology is used to dynamically adjust the speed of the ball mill according to the hardness and particle size requirements of the material. The micro-crushing unit uses air flow crushing equipment to further crush the material into micro-powders below 50 microns, introduces a multi-stage grading system, monitors and adjusts the particle size distribution after crushing in real time to ensure particle consistency and uniformity.

4. A lithium phosphate battery recycling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The metal material obtained in the precipitation and separation module flows into the regeneration module, and the regeneration module regenerates the metal material to a quality standard that can be reused; The regeneration module includes: a regeneration heat treatment unit, a chemical regeneration unit and a physical regeneration unit; The regenerative heat treatment unit uses segmented heating technology to heat treat the precipitate at high temperature. The temperature is controlled at 500-700℃. The heat treatment process is carried out in an inert gas environment. The grain growth of the material is controlled by gradually increasing and decreasing the temperature. The chemical regeneration unit introduces electrochemical regeneration technology to induce chemical reactions by applying current on the material surface, and uses nitrate chemicals to treat the regenerated materials to adjust the oxidation state of the regenerated materials / restore electrochemical activity; The physical regeneration unit restores the physical properties of the recycled material through mechanical methods and improves the surface morphology of the recycled material.

5. A lithium phosphate battery recycling system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The regenerated material enters the purification module for further purification; The purification module includes: chemical purification unit, physical purification unit and purity detection unit; The chemical purification unit uses chemical methods to remove residual impurities in the recycled materials. It has developed a multi-step recrystallization technology to gradually separate impurities by controlling the type, concentration and temperature of the dissolved substances. The physical purification unit uses physical separation technology to accurately classify particles in the recycled material, and adopts plasma-assisted purification technology to promote the separation and removal of impurities by changing the energy state of the material surface; The purity detection unit uses detection equipment to detect the composition and purity of the purified materials, introduces an automated detection system, analyzes material changes during the purification process in real time, and provides instant feedback to adjust the purification process.

6. A lithium phosphate battery recycling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The recycling system is also designed with a wastewater treatment module, which is used to treat the wastewater generated during the recycling process; The wastewater treatment module includes: a neutralization treatment unit, a sedimentation treatment unit and a wastewater recycling unit; The neutralization treatment unit uses alkaline substances to neutralize the acidic wastewater generated during the leaching and extraction process. A continuous flow neutralization system is introduced to automatically control the amount of alkaline agent added to achieve precise control of the pH value, thereby reducing the time and cost of the neutralization reaction; The precipitation treatment unit adds a precipitant to the neutralized wastewater to promote the formation of precipitates from heavy metal ions in the wastewater, and uses ultrasonic assisted precipitation technology to enhance the speed and effect of the precipitation reaction; The wastewater recycling unit purifies the treated wastewater through a multi-stage filtration and membrane separation system to meet the reuse standards for use in the system's pretreatment and leaching processes, and introduces a reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membrane combination system to improve water recovery rate and quality.

7. A lithium phosphate battery recycling method, applicable to a lithium phosphate battery recycling system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The recovery method comprises the following steps: S1. Waste lithium phosphate batteries are pre-treated by mechanical separation, drying and oxidation to obtain pure battery active materials; S2, the battery active materials are crushed into micron-sized particles by the crushing module, providing the best surface area for the leaching process; S3. Under the control of the dynamic monitoring system, the leaching module uses an acidic solution to leach the battery active material to extract the target metal; S4. Lithium, copper and zinc metal ions are accurately extracted from the leachate through the solvent extraction module, and the solvent is recovered.

8. A lithium phosphate battery recycling method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The recovery method further comprises the following steps: S5. Using precipitation separation technology in the precipitation separation module to obtain a high-purity metal precipitate, and washing and further separating the metal precipitate; S6. After the metal precipitate is subjected to heat treatment, chemical treatment and physical treatment in the regeneration module, the original physical and chemical properties are restored; S7, the regenerated material goes through multiple steps of chemical and physical purification in the purification module to meet the standards for industrial applications; S8. The wastewater generated in the system is neutralized and precipitated by the wastewater treatment module, and then circulated into the system for reuse.

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