Waste lithium ion battery processing apparatus and heating processing chamber used therefor

Abstract

To provide a waste lithium ion battery processing apparatus for executing preliminary processing so that the recovery of valuables is facilitated upon recycling a waste lithium ion battery, and a heating processing chamber used therefor.SOLUTION: A waste lithium ion battery processing apparatus comprises a heating processing chamber and a combustion furnace, and has: combustion gas feed means of feeding a combustion gas generated from the combustion furnace to the heating processing chamber; and exhaust gas return means of returning an exhaust gas generated from the heating processing chamber to the combustion furnace.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a treatment device for waste lithium ion batteries for preliminary heat treatment for recycling used lithium ion batteries, and a heat treatment chamber used therein. [Background technology]

[0002] Used lithium-ion batteries contain many rare materials, so it is desirable to recycle them. However, there have been cases of explosions when waste lithium-ion batteries are fired and recycled.

[0003] Therefore, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for carbonization treatment. However, although this technology involves step-by-step heating and carbonization, it still poses safety issues because it reaches high temperatures of 900 to 1,000°C. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-164399 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a treatment device for used lithium ion batteries for preliminary treatment so as to facilitate the recovery of valuable materials when recycling used lithium ion batteries, and a heat treatment chamber used therein. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The waste lithium-ion battery treatment device of the present invention is a waste lithium-ion battery treatment device comprising a heat treatment chamber and a combustion furnace, and is characterized in having a combustion gas supply means for supplying combustion gas generated from the combustion furnace to the heat treatment chamber, and an exhaust gas return means for returning exhaust gas generated from the heat treatment chamber to the combustion furnace. Here, the combustion furnace is a furnace for combustion of general waste or industrial waste, and the combustion gas is preferably a combustion gas whose temperature has been reduced to 250 to 350°C.

[0007] In the experimental investigations conducted by the present inventors, it was found that heating used lithium-ion batteries at a low temperature of 250 to 350°C for at least one hour, preferably for 4 to 5 hours, releases volatile components, enabling the batteries to be safely disposed of without explosion during the subsequent recycling process. Therefore, the heat treatment chamber according to the present invention is characterized by having a door for carrying in and / or carrying out the workpiece, a supply port for combustion gas, and a return port for exhaust gas. Here, the structure for transporting the workpiece into and out of the heat treatment chamber can be a continuous type in which an entrance door is provided on one of the opposing sides of the heat treatment chamber and an exit door is provided on the other, so that the workpiece placed on a cart or the like is transported in from the entrance door side on a transfer conveyor or the like, and after heat treatment is removed from the exit door, and the cart is returned to the entrance side on a transfer conveyor or the like, or the heat treatment chamber can have an entrance and exit door in one location.

[0008] Stoker furnaces, kiln furnaces, etc. are used as incinerators for general waste and industrial waste, and the gas components generated in the primary incineration furnace are often re-burned in a secondary incineration furnace. In this secondary combustion furnace, the combustion gas often reaches a high temperature of 800°C or more, but it is easy to reduce the temperature to 250 to 350°C during the process of removing dust from the combustion gas using a cyclone or the like. Therefore, by sending combustion gas at 250 to 350 degrees Celsius into a heat treatment chamber in which waste lithium-ion batteries are placed, the batteries can be easily heated, and energy is also saved as waste heat is utilized.

[0009] In addition, when waste lithium-ion batteries are heated to 250 to 350°C, gas components are generated, but these exhaust gas components can be returned to the combustion furnace for combustion treatment. Effect of the Invention

[0010] The waste lithium-ion battery treatment device of the present invention takes in combustion gas generated from a combustion furnace into a heat treatment chamber, uses the temperature of this combustion gas to preliminarily heat-treat the waste lithium-ion batteries, and returns the exhaust gas generated during this process to the combustion furnace for combustion treatment. In this way, by incorporating a heat treatment chamber for waste lithium-ion batteries into the combustion gas treatment system of the combustion furnace, a treatment method that is advantageous in terms of energy is achieved. The treatment device according to the present invention is also applicable to heat treatment of materials other than waste lithium ion batteries, since it utilizes waste heat from combustion gas. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] This shows an example of incorporating a waste lithium-ion battery treatment device into the combustion gas treatment system of a combustion furnace. [Diagram 2] An example of continuous processing is shown in which the workpieces are carried in and out of the heat processing chamber via a cart. [Diagram 3] An example of a batch processing type heat treatment chamber is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] An example of the configuration of a processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The used lithium-ion batteries to be processed include large secondary batteries called battery modules or battery packs used in electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, etc., as well as small button batteries, cylindrical batteries, battery packs, etc. used in various electronic devices. In the case of small batteries, they can be disposed of in a can or the like.

[0013] As one embodiment, FIG. 1 shows an example in which a heat treatment chamber 20 is incorporated in a combustion gas treatment system of a combustion furnace. The combustion furnace of this embodiment is an example in which the combustion gas generated in the primary combustion furnace 11 is re-burned in the secondary combustion furnace 13. The primary combustion furnace 11 is an example of a stoker furnace that is composed of a multi-stage hearth portion 11a and a multi-stage pusher 11b. General waste, industrial waste, etc. are fed into the hearth section by a feeder 12 via a hopper 12a and combusted. The primary combustion gas generated here is sent from the upper exhaust port 11c through the transfer port 13a of the secondary combustion furnace 13 and is burned again. The solid content in the secondary combustion gas is collected from the lower opening 13c. In this embodiment, the secondary combustion gas is sent to the cyclone 14 . The combustion gas temperature here is about 250 to 350° C., and is sent into the heat treatment chamber 20 using the blower 14a or the like.

[0014] The heat treatment chamber 20 shown in FIG. 1 has a container shape. The entrance door 21 is opened, and a cart 30 carrying the waste lithium-ion batteries 1 is carried into the heat treatment chamber 20. Thereafter, the entrance door 21 is closed, and the combustion gas supply port 14b is opened. Then, the inside of the heat treatment chamber 20 is heated to about 250 to 350° C. by the combustion gas. When the waste lithium-ion batteries are heat-treated in this state for approximately 4 to 5 hours, gas components are generated from the waste lithium-ion batteries. By returning these gas components from the exhaust outlet 20a of the heat treatment chamber 20 through the return port 11d of the combustion furnace into the furnace where combustion is taking place, the gas generated from the waste lithium-ion batteries is burned or diluted. After the heat treatment, the waste lithium ion batteries are removed by opening the removal door 22. The cart 30 is returned to the loading side by a conveyor 31 or the like and is used repeatedly. The heat treatment chamber 20 may be of a batch type or a continuous type as long as it can be isolated from the outside air.

[0015] For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the discarded lithium-ion batteries 1 are placed on a cart 30, the entrance door 21 is opened, and the batteries are carried in by a conveyor 31. After the heat treatment, the exit door 22 is opened and the cart 30 is carried out to the conveyor 31 by a transfer conveyor 23a. Next, the flow of returning the dolly 30 to the carry-in side can be continuously repeated using the transfer conveyor 23b. Also, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, the discarded lithium-ion batteries 1 are placed on a cart 30 and carried into the heat treatment chamber 20 by a forklift 40, and the door 21a is closed. As shown in FIG. 2(b), after the heat treatment has been performed for a predetermined time, the door 21a may be opened and the heat-treated waste lithium ion batteries 1a may be removed. In this way, the door 21a may serve as both the entrance door and the exit door. [Explanation of symbols]

[0016] 11 Primary Combustion Furnace 11a Hearth part 11b Pusher 12 Loading machine 13 Secondary Combustion Furnace 14. Cyclone 20 Heat Treatment Room

Claims

1. A treatment device for waste lithium ion batteries, comprising a heat treatment chamber and a combustion furnace, A combustion gas supply means for supplying the combustion gas generated from the combustion furnace to the heat treatment chamber; and an exhaust gas return means for returning exhaust gas generated from the heat treatment chamber to the combustion furnace.

2. 2. The waste lithium ion battery treatment device according to claim 1, wherein the combustion furnace is a combustion furnace for general waste or industrial waste, and the combustion gas is a combustion gas whose temperature has been reduced to 250 to 350°C.

3. A heat treatment chamber used in the waste lithium ion battery treatment device described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the heat treatment chamber has a door for loading and / or unloading the object to be treated, a supply port for combustion gas, and a return port for exhaust gas.

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