Industrialized battery fine disassembly and electrolyte harmless treatment method
By physically short-circuiting and discharging retired lithium batteries, opening holes to extract electrolyte, cutting the shell to extract the core, squeezing, kneading and rewinding to separate the positive and negative electrode sheets, and combining the electrolyte with condensation, incineration and adsorption treatment, the problems of refined dismantling of retired lithium batteries and harmless disposal of electrolyte have been solved, realizing low-cost and efficient industrial production.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- WUHAN RIKOMAY NEW ENERGY CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2026-03-27
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-31
AI Technical Summary
Existing technologies make it difficult to achieve precise dismantling of retired lithium batteries and harmless disposal of electrolytes, resulting in high production costs, significant environmental pressure, poor stability of production line equipment, and high electrolyte treatment costs, making it impossible to achieve industrial-scale production.
The battery is discharged by physical short circuit, and the positive and negative electrode sheets are separated by opening holes to extract liquid, cutting the shell to remove the core, squeezing and kneading, and rewinding. The electrolyte is then treated by condensation, incineration and adsorption, so as to achieve refined disassembly of the battery throughout the entire process and low-cost harmless disposal of the electrolyte.
It enables the refined dismantling of retired lithium batteries throughout the entire process, ensuring the pure separation of positive and negative electrode plates, reducing equipment failure rate and nitrogen consumption, improving production line safety and low-cost disposal of electrolyte, and is suitable for industrial-scale production.
Smart Images
Figure CN122494873A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of retired lithium battery recycling technology, specifically to an industrialized method for precise dismantling of batteries and harmless disposal of electrolyte. Background Technology
[0002] With the arrival of the retirement wave of power lithium batteries both domestically and internationally, the necessity of industrializing the disposal of retired lithium batteries has become increasingly urgent. The mainstream recycling process in the industry previously involved first crushing and sorting retired lithium batteries in an oxygen-free environment to obtain black powder, and then using hydrometallurgical extraction to extract valuable metals from the black powder. However, with increasing competition within the industry and stricter energy and environmental protection requirements, companies are being forced to seek more efficient and effective solutions. The current mainstream pretreatment technology is the crushing and sorting disposal of retired lithium batteries. Its advantages are: industrial feasibility and good compatibility with raw materials. Its disadvantages are: high environmental pressure on the crushing and sorting production line, the product being a mixture of positive and negative electrode powder, high cost of subsequent disposal of valuable metals, large amount of hazardous waste generation, long overall process line, and low overall gross profit margin for disposal companies, increasing the cost of industrial operation.
[0003] In the early stages of the industry's development, power batteries, represented by Tesla, were mainly small cells such as 18650 cylindrical cells, or pouch cells forming packs. The core factor restricting the path of refined cell dismantling was the production capacity issue, meaning that industrialized production and disposal were not feasible. However, with the development of the industry, the capacity density of individual cells in mainstream power battery packs has gradually increased, and the prerequisites for the industrialization of refined cell dismantling have been met. In addition, with increasingly fierce competition in the industry, how to maximize the value of battery disposal has become a technology-driven condition. Therefore, the development of refined cell dismantling technology has become a preferred option for the industry's development needs.
[0004] Currently, there are two main processes in the industry for the refined disassembly of battery cells: 1) First, the battery is rapidly discharged. The battery is a retired square aluminum-cased battery. Then, the battery is cut to remove the core. The core is separated into an upper separator, positive electrode, lower separator and negative electrode using a dewinding device. The shortcomings of this process are that the core is not completely discharged, the voltage is prone to rebound, the lithium content on the positive electrode is low, which cannot meet the requirements for direct physical repair of the positive electrode material, and the incomplete discharge of the core can easily lead to safety hazards. Since the dewinding is separated into full component separation, that is, the upper separator, positive electrode, lower separator and negative electrode are all dewinded, the core dewinding equipment has many operations, long cycle time, high failure rate, and the equipment uptime cannot be effectively guaranteed. When it is truly industrialized, the number of equipment is large and the construction cost of the production line is high. 2) First, the battery is rapidly discharged. The battery is a retired square aluminum-cased battery. Then, the battery casing is cut to extract the core. The core is then sliced and sorted by a color sorter to obtain the positive and negative electrode sheets. Although this process can be industrialized, its shortcomings are that the purity of the positive and negative electrodes cannot be guaranteed. Due to the mixing of positive and negative electrodes, the metal content is too high, making it unsuitable as a raw material for direct material repair. This is a fatal flaw for regeneration. For the treatment of electrolyte, an exhaust duct is installed above the production line equipment to draw the volatile electrolyte air away to the exhaust gas treatment equipment for disposal. The core processing volume is large. If the production line requires nitrogen protection, the nitrogen consumption will be very large, resulting in increased costs and waste. Summary of the Invention
[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an industrialized method for fine dismantling of batteries and harmless disposal of electrolyte, so as to realize the fine dismantling of square aluminum-cased batteries throughout the entire process and industrialized disposal, and to achieve safe and effective collection of electrolyte, and to achieve low-cost harmless treatment by utilizing the properties of the electrolyte itself.
[0006] The technical solution of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned technical problems is as follows: An industrial-scale method for precise dismantling of batteries and harmless disposal of electrolyte includes the following steps: S1. Discharge the battery using a physical short circuit method to reduce its voltage to near 0V; S2. Make an opening in the battery and extract the electrolyte from the battery under negative pressure. S3. Cut the battery casing and remove the core pack from the inside; S4. Divide the cell pack into individual cells to obtain multiple individual cells; S5. First, flip each individual cell to unify its orientation, then squeeze and knead each cell. S6. Determine if the electrode sheets wound in the battery cell are loose. If they are loose, proceed to S7; if they are not loose, proceed to S9. S7. Cut the outermost separator of the battery cell, and reverse-wind the upper separator + positive electrode + lower separator as a group, and reverse-wind the negative electrode as a group. S8. The anti-wound upper separator + positive electrode + lower separator is sliced to obtain sheet material. The sheet material is first dried, then broken up and sieved, and finally the separator is removed by sieving to obtain positive electrode sheet. The negative electrode is first separated from the unwound negative electrode to obtain an electrode sheet, and then the electrode sheet is dried to finally obtain the negative electrode sheet. S9. The battery cell is sliced to obtain sheet material. The sheet material is dried first, then broken up and sieved. The separator is then removed by sieving. Finally, the positive and negative electrode sheets are separated by color sorting. S10. The electrolyte extracted from the S2 process section is treated to render it harmless, and the electrolyte that evaporates in the S3, S4, S5, S7, S8, and S9 process sections is also treated to render it harmless.
[0007] Based on the above technical solution, the present invention can be further improved as follows.
[0008] Furthermore, the specific content of S1 is as follows: S11, low SOC battery loading; S12. Discharge the battery using a physical short circuit method to reduce its voltage to near 0V; S13. Perform visual inspection on the battery to determine the battery model and automatically retrieve the parameters that match the production line. S14. Test and inspect the batteries to eliminate those with high remaining SOC.
[0009] Furthermore, the physical short-circuit method in S12 is as follows: a conductor is used to short-circuit the positive and negative terminals of the battery, and the residual charge is released to near 0V by the heat generated by the conductor.
[0010] Furthermore, in S13, visual inspection determines the battery model by detecting the battery's external dimensions.
[0011] Furthermore, in S3, when cutting the battery casing, only one side of the battery terminal is cut, and the battery is flipped over to remove the core pack, or the battery casing is cut from both sides and the core pack is removed.
[0012] Furthermore, in S7, the outermost separator of the battery cell is cut using a hot knife process or a laser process.
[0013] Furthermore, in S8, the sheet material is broken up and sieved to loosen the material and remove metal particles generated during the slicing process. In S8, gravity sieving device is used to remove the diaphragm.
[0014] Furthermore, in S9, the sheet material is broken up and sieved to loosen the material and remove metal particles generated during the slicing process. In S9, gravity sieving device is used to remove the diaphragm.
[0015] Furthermore, the specific content of S10 is as follows: The electrolyte extracted from the S2 process section is first sent to a condenser for condensation and collection. Then, the electrolyte is atomized by an atomizing device. The atomized electrolyte, along with natural gas, is sent to a TO furnace for incineration. The exhaust gas generated by the TO furnace incineration is quenched by a quenching device. The quenched exhaust gas is then sent to an alkaline spraying device for spray absorption. Finally, it is sent to an activated carbon adsorption device for adsorption treatment, and the qualified exhaust gas is discharged through a chimney. The electrolyte that evaporates in process sections S3, S4, S5, S7, S8, and S9 is first continuously fed into a condenser by circulating air for condensation and collection. Then, the electrolyte is atomized by an atomizing device. The atomized electrolyte, along with natural gas, is fed into a TO furnace for combustion. The exhaust gas generated by the TO furnace combustion is quenched by a quenching device. The quenched exhaust gas is then sent to an alkaline spraying device for spray absorption. Finally, it is sent to an activated carbon adsorption device for adsorption treatment, and the qualified exhaust gas is discharged through a chimney.
[0016] Furthermore, if the circulating air of the mixed electrolyte is saturated, natural gas is fed into the TO furnace for combustion. The exhaust gas produced by the TO furnace combustion is quenched by a quenching device, and then sent to an alkaline spraying device for spray absorption. Finally, it is sent to an activated carbon adsorption device for adsorption treatment, and the qualified exhaust gas is discharged through a chimney.
[0017] The beneficial effects of this invention are: First, the battery is discharged using a physical short circuit. This maximizes the discharge and reduces the voltage to near 0V, ensuring safety during subsequent detailed disassembly (low safety risks). It also allows valuable lithium metal in the cell to migrate from the negative electrode to (or return to, or accumulate on) the positive electrode, ensuring the quality of lithium on the positive electrode. Next, the battery casing is cut to remove the core. The core is then squeezed and kneaded to check for loosened electrodes. If loose, the upper separator + positive electrode + lower separator are grouped together. By employing a semi-component, high-efficiency dewinding and separation process, including dewinding the negative electrode as a group, the process cycle time is significantly optimized, the failure rate of the dewinding equipment is reduced, and the equipment uptime is greatly improved. This solves the core cycle time and stability issues of dewinding, providing strong support for actual industrialization. It also ensures complete separation of the positive and negative electrodes, eliminating the possibility of mixing, thus obtaining pure positive and negative electrode sheets. The pure positive electrode sheet can be used as a raw material for direct regeneration (physical) repair, providing high-quality raw materials for this purpose. To reduce overall processing costs, and if the process remains unresolved, a slicing and color sorting process is employed for the battery cells to separate the positive and negative electrodes, ensuring all retired battery cells are suitable for refined dismantling across the entire industry chain. This addresses the capacity bottlenecks and equipment stability issues in refined dismantling industrialization. Finally, the extracted electrolyte is collected, and the electrolyte volatilized in each process stage is effectively collected using circulating air, ensuring good operating conditions and environment on the production line. If nitrogen is used for circulating air, nitrogen consumption can be significantly reduced, improving overall line safety. This process greatly reduces the total amount of exhaust gas treated, and the condensed and recovered electrolyte can be centrally and harmlessly treated in multiple ways using its inherent properties. This includes providing efficient and low-cost disposal and utilization of the electrolyte, or outsourcing centralized third-party disposal. The entire process enables refined dismantling of retired batteries for industrialization, overcoming the shortcomings of current industry dismantling technologies, achieving large-scale industrial production, guaranteed capacity, product quality assurance, and reliable production line safety. This approach is worthy of industry-wide promotion. Attached Figure Description
[0018] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of the battery cell in this invention; Figure 2 This is a flowchart of the industrial-scale battery disassembly and electrolyte harmless disposal method in this invention; Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the specific content of step S1 in this invention. Detailed Implementation
[0019] The principles and features of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The examples given are only for explaining the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
[0020] Example 1 like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, an industrial-scale battery dismantling and electrolyte harmless disposal method includes the following steps: S1. The battery is discharged by physical short circuit to reduce its voltage to close to 0V. The battery is a retired power or energy storage lithium battery, and its mainstream shape is a square aluminum shell battery. S2. Make a hole in the battery and extract the electrolyte from the battery under negative pressure. A drilling device can be used to make the hole in the battery. S3. Cut the battery casing and remove the core packs from the inside. Each battery usually contains two or four core packs. S4. Divide the cell pack into individual cells to obtain multiple individual cells; S5. First, flip each individual cell to unify its orientation. That is, arrange the cells to ensure consistent orientation, which facilitates the subsequent cutting of the outermost separator of the cell. Then, squeeze and knead each cell to break up the layers of the cell (upper separator layer, positive electrode layer, lower separator layer, negative electrode layer). This has a positive effect on the subsequent dewinding and peeling of the layers of the cell. The squeezing and kneading can be done in a wave-like manner. S6. Determine if the wound electrode in the cell is loose. If it is loose, proceed to S7. If it is not loose, proceed to S9. The reason for this determination is that due to the diversity of retired batteries and the differences in battery usage, it is inevitable that a small number of cells cannot be unwound. S7. Cut the outermost separator of the cell and reverse wind the upper separator + positive electrode + lower separator as a group, and reverse wind the negative electrode as a group. According to the cell manufacturing process, rewinding the upper separator + positive electrode + lower separator as a group and rewinding the negative electrode as a group makes it easy to separate and shortens the process cycle time. S8. The anti-wound upper separator + positive electrode + lower separator is sliced to obtain sheet material. The sheet material is first dried to remove residual electrolyte, then the sheet material is broken up and sieved, and finally the separator is removed by sieving to obtain positive electrode sheet. The negative electrode is first separated to obtain an electrode sheet, and then the electrode sheet is dried to remove residual electrolyte, finally obtaining the negative electrode sheet. S9. The battery cell is sliced to obtain sheet material. The sheet material is first dried to remove residual electrolyte, then the sheet material is broken up and sieved. The separator is then removed by sieving to obtain a mixture of positive and negative electrode sheets. Finally, the positive and negative electrode sheets are separated by color sorting. S10. The electrolyte extracted from the S2 process section is treated to render it harmless, and the electrolyte that evaporates in the S3, S4, S5, S7, S8, and S9 process sections is also treated to render it harmless.
[0021] Example 2 like Figure 3As shown, this embodiment is a further improvement on embodiment 1, as detailed below: The specific content of S1 is as follows: S11, low SOC battery loading; S12. Discharge the battery using a physical short circuit method to reduce its voltage to near 0V; S13. Perform visual inspection on the battery to determine the battery model and automatically retrieve the parameters that match the production line, thereby achieving automatic and compatible fine disassembly of battery cells of various shapes and sizes. The visual inspection is machine vision inspection. S14. Test and inspect the batteries to eliminate those with high remaining SOC.
[0022] Furthermore, the physical short-circuit method in S12 is as follows: a conductor is used to short-circuit the positive and negative terminals of the battery, and the residual charge is released to near 0V by the heat generated by the conductor. The battery is discharged by physical short-circuiting. Since there is no voltage difference between the positive and negative terminals, the conductor does not heat up. In order to make the valuable lithium metal migrate from the negative terminal to (or return to, or accumulate in) the positive terminal as much as possible, the discharge time is extended as much as possible. Theoretically, the voltage can be reduced to near 0V. The conductor can be long strip or cylindrical. In S13, visual inspection is carried out by detecting the external dimensions of the battery to determine the battery model. Different battery models have different external dimensions.
[0023] Example 3 This embodiment is a further improvement on embodiment 1 or 2, as detailed below: When cutting the battery casing in S3, only one side of the battery terminal is cut, and the battery is flipped over to remove the core pack, or the battery casing is cut from both sides and the core pack is removed.
[0024] Example 4 This embodiment is a further improvement on embodiment 1, 2, or 3, as detailed below: In S7, the outermost separator of the battery cell is cut using a hot knife process, or in S7, the outermost separator of the battery cell is cut using a laser process. Of course, these two cases are just exemplary solutions, and other solutions may be used in actual applications.
[0025] Example 5 This embodiment is a further improvement based on any one of embodiments 1 to 4, as detailed below: In S8, the sheet material is broken up and sieved to loosen the material and remove metal particles generated during the slicing process. Gravity sieve can be used to remove the diaphragm in S8.
[0026] In S9, the sheet material is broken up and sieved to loosen the material and remove metal particles generated during the slicing process. Gravity sieve can be used to remove the diaphragm in S9.
[0027] Example 6 like Figure 2 As shown, this embodiment is a further improvement on any one of embodiments 1 to 5, as detailed below: The specific content of S10 is as follows: The electrolyte extracted from the S2 process section is first sent to a condenser for condensation and collection. Then, the liquid electrolyte collected by the condenser is atomized by an atomizing device. The atomized electrolyte, along with natural gas, is sent to a TO furnace for incineration. The exhaust gas generated by the TO furnace incineration is quenched by a quenching device to prevent the generation of other harmful substances. The quenched exhaust gas is then sent to an alkaline spraying device for spray absorption to remove fluorides and other substances. Finally, the exhaust gas is sent to an activated carbon adsorption device for adsorption treatment to further remove harmful substances, and the qualified exhaust gas is discharged through a chimney. The electrolyte that evaporates in process sections S3, S4, S5, S7, S8, and S9 is first continuously fed into a condenser by circulating air for condensation and collection. Then, the liquid electrolyte collected by the condenser is atomized by an atomizing device. The atomized electrolyte, along with natural gas, is sent to a TO furnace for combustion. The exhaust gas generated by the TO furnace combustion is rapidly cooled by a quenching device to prevent the generation of other harmful substances. The rapidly cooled exhaust gas is then sent to an alkaline spraying device for spray absorption to remove fluorides and other pollutants. Finally, the exhaust gas is sent to an activated carbon adsorption device for adsorption treatment to further remove harmful substances, and the qualified exhaust gas is discharged through a chimney.
[0028] Furthermore, if the circulating air of the mixed electrolyte is saturated, natural gas is fed into the TO furnace for combustion. The exhaust gas produced by the TO furnace combustion is rapidly cooled by a quenching device to prevent the generation of other harmful substances. The rapidly cooled exhaust gas is then sent to an alkaline spraying device for spray absorption to remove fluorides and other substances. Finally, it is sent to an activated carbon adsorption device for adsorption treatment to further remove harmful substances, and the qualified exhaust gas is discharged through a chimney.
[0029] In traditional processes, gases containing electrolyte are directly treated as waste gas and burned for disposal. If a nitrogen atmosphere is used, nitrogen is consumed in large quantities. This invention mainly involves circulating gas and dynamic real-time collection through condensation, and is not limited to nitrogen. This allows for reuse, greatly reducing collection and disposal costs. Then, the liquid electrolyte is centrally and harmlessly disposed of, utilizing the calorific value of the electrolyte itself in a low-cost and efficient manner.
[0030] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. An industrialized battery fine disassembly and electrolyte harmless treatment method, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Discharge the battery using a physical short circuit method to reduce its voltage to near 0V; S2. Make an opening in the battery and extract the electrolyte from the battery under negative pressure. S3. Cut the battery casing and remove the core pack from the inside; S4. Divide the cell pack into individual cells to obtain multiple individual cells; S5. First, flip each individual cell to unify its orientation, then squeeze and knead each cell. S6. Determine if the electrode sheets wound in the battery cell are loose. If they are loose, proceed to S7; if they are not loose, proceed to S9. S7. Cut the outermost separator of the battery cell, and reverse-wind the upper separator + positive electrode + lower separator as a group, and reverse-wind the negative electrode as a group. S8. The anti-wound upper separator + positive electrode + lower separator is sliced to obtain sheet material. The sheet material is first dried, then broken up and sieved, and finally the separator is removed by sieving to obtain positive electrode sheet. The negative electrode is first separated from the unwound negative electrode to obtain an electrode sheet, and then the electrode sheet is dried to finally obtain the negative electrode sheet. S9. The battery cell is sliced to obtain sheet material. The sheet material is dried first, then broken up and sieved. The separator is then removed by sieving. Finally, the positive and negative electrode sheets are separated by color sorting. S10. The electrolyte extracted from the S2 process section is treated to render it harmless, and the electrolyte that evaporates in the S3, S4, S5, S7, S8, and S9 process sections is also treated to render it harmless.
2. The industrial battery fine disassembly and electrolyte harmless treatment method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The specific content of S1 is as follows: S11, low SOC battery loading; S12. Discharge the battery using a physical short circuit method to reduce its voltage to near 0V; S13. Perform visual inspection on the battery to determine the battery model and automatically retrieve the parameters that match the production line. S14. Test and inspect the batteries to eliminate those with high remaining SOC.
3. The industrial battery fine disassembly and electrolyte harmless disposal method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The physical short-circuit method in S12 is as follows: a conductor is used to short-circuit the positive and negative terminals of the battery, and the residual charge is released to near 0V by the heat generated by the conductor.
4. The industrial battery fine disassembly and electrolyte harmless disposal method according to claim 1 or 2 or 3, characterized in that, In S13, visual inspection determines the battery model by detecting the battery's external dimensions.
5. The industrialized battery fine disassembly and electrolyte harmless treatment method according to claim 1, characterized in that, When cutting the battery casing in S3, only one side of the battery terminal is cut, and the battery is flipped over to remove the core pack, or the battery casing is cut from both sides and the core pack is removed.
6. The industrialized battery fine disassembly and electrolyte harmless treatment method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In S7, the outermost separator of the battery cell is cut using either a hot knife process or a laser process.
7. The method for industrial-scale battery dismantling and harmless disposal of electrolyte according to claim 1, characterized in that, In S8, the sheet material is broken up and sieved to loosen the material and remove metal particles generated during the slicing process. Gravity sieve is used to remove the diaphragm in S8.
8. The method for industrial-scale battery dismantling and harmless disposal of electrolyte according to claim 1, characterized in that, In S9, the sheet material is broken up and sieved to loosen the material and remove metal particles generated during the slicing process. Gravity sieving device is used in S9 to remove the diaphragm.
9. A method for industrial-scale battery dismantling and electrolyte harmless disposal according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The specific content of S10 is as follows: The electrolyte extracted from the S2 process section is first sent to a condenser for condensation and collection. Then, the electrolyte is atomized by an atomizing device. The atomized electrolyte, along with natural gas, is sent to a TO furnace for incineration. The exhaust gas generated by the TO furnace incineration is quenched by a quenching device. The quenched exhaust gas is then sent to an alkaline spraying device for spray absorption. Finally, it is sent to an activated carbon adsorption device for adsorption treatment, and the qualified exhaust gas is discharged through a chimney. The electrolyte that evaporates in process sections S3, S4, S5, S7, S8, and S9 is first continuously fed into a condenser by circulating air for condensation and collection. Then, the electrolyte is atomized by an atomizing device. The atomized electrolyte, along with natural gas, is fed into a TO furnace for combustion. The exhaust gas generated by the TO furnace combustion is quenched by a quenching device. The quenched exhaust gas is then sent to an alkaline spraying device for spray absorption. Finally, it is sent to an activated carbon adsorption device for adsorption treatment, and the qualified exhaust gas is discharged through a chimney.
10. The method for industrial-scale battery dismantling and electrolyte harmless disposal according to claim 9, characterized in that, If the circulating air of the mixed electrolyte is saturated, it is fed into the TO furnace for combustion with natural gas. The exhaust gas produced by the TO furnace combustion is cooled by a quenching device. The cooled exhaust gas is then sent to an alkaline spraying device for spray absorption. Finally, it is sent to an activated carbon adsorption device for adsorption treatment, and the qualified exhaust gas is discharged through a chimney.