Active material separation device and active material separation method

Abstract

To provide an active material separation device and an active material separation method that can efficiently separate active materials from battery components without applying excessive stress to the battery components due to a liquid jet.SOLUTION: An active material separation device includes a container 10, a battery support portion 50, and a spray nozzle 20. A liquid 22 is stored in the container 10. The battery support portion 50 is disposed inside the container 10 and supports a battery component 70. The spray nozzle 20 sprays a high-pressure liquid 22 onto the active material separation surface 70a of the battery component 70 submerged in the liquid inside the container 10. The spray nozzle 20 is disposed at a position where the liquid spray portion 20a that sprays the high-pressure liquid 22 is submerged in the liquid 22 inside the container 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an active material separation device for separating active materials from battery components, and a method for separating active materials. [Background technology]

[0002] In light of climate-related disasters, there is growing interest in electric vehicles to reduce CO2 emissions, and the demand for batteries installed in electric vehicles is also increasing. In this context, research into the recycling of battery materials is progressing. For example, research is being conducted focusing on aspects such as highly efficient recovery of active materials used in electrodes and cost reduction of the recovery process.

[0003] Active material separation devices have been proposed for separating active materials from discarded batteries (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). The active material separation devices described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 inject a high-pressure liquid onto the outer surface of a battery component, and separate the active material from the battery component by the liquid jet.

[0004] This separation device includes a container for storing liquid, a base member (battery support) that supports the battery components inside the container, and a spray nozzle that sprays high-pressure liquid from above the liquid surface onto the outer surfaces of the battery components submerged in the liquid. When separating the active material from the battery components, the battery components are placed on the base member so that the active material separation surface (surface to be separated) of the battery components faces vertically upward, and in this state, liquid is introduced into the container to position the battery components below the liquid surface. Then, high-pressure liquid is sprayed toward the active material separation surface from above the liquid surface inside the container using the spray nozzle.

[0005] At this time, the high-pressure liquid sprayed from the spray nozzle collides with the liquid surface in the container, dispersing the spray pressure around the periphery. This prevents the spray pressure from concentrating at one point on the outer surface of the battery component. Furthermore, because the battery component is positioned below the liquid surface, the active material separated from the outer surface of the battery component is prevented from scattering upward. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-150114 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-150119 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the conventional separation device described above, high-pressure liquid is sprayed from a spray nozzle toward the liquid surface where the battery components are submerged. As a result, the high-pressure liquid sprayed from the spray nozzle hits the water surface, significantly attenuating the liquid's energy. This means unnecessary energy loss of the high-pressure liquid, and improvements are desired from the perspective of effective energy utilization.

[0008] Furthermore, because the conventional separation devices described above separate the active material from the battery components using the liquid jet itself, the area of ​​the active material on the battery components that can be separated is limited to the area directly hit by the jet. Therefore, in order to separate the active material from the entire area of ​​the battery components, the base member supporting the battery components must be moved frequently and in small increments within the container. This is undesirable from the perspective of improving the efficiency of the separation process of active material from battery components, and the development of a more efficient separation method is desired.

[0009] In addition, increasing the injection pressure of the liquid injected from the injection nozzle can expand the range in which the active material can be separated. However, in this case, the pressure of the liquid injection flow hitting the outer surface of the battery component increases, making the substrate of the battery component more likely to deform. Furthermore, if the substrate of the battery component becomes too deformed, the subsequent smooth separation of the active material will be hindered.

[0010] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide an active material separation device and an active material separation method that can efficiently separate active materials from battery components without applying excessive stress to the battery components due to the liquid jet flow. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to solve the above problems, the active material separation device and the active material separation method according to the present invention employ the following configurations. That is, an active material separation device according to one aspect of the present invention is an active material separation device that separates an active material from a battery component (e.g., battery component 70 in an embodiment) containing the active material, and is equipped with a container (e.g., container 10 in an embodiment) in which a liquid (e.g., liquid 22 in an embodiment) is stored, a battery support part (e.g., battery support part 50 in an embodiment) that is arranged inside the container and supports the battery component, and a spray nozzle (e.g., spray nozzle 20 in an embodiment) that sprays high-pressure liquid toward an active material separation surface (e.g., active material separation surface 70a in an embodiment) of the battery component that is submerged in the liquid inside the container, and is characterized in that the liquid spray part (e.g., liquid spray part 20a in an embodiment) that sprays the high-pressure liquid is arranged in a position inside the container where it is submerged in the liquid.

[0012] In the separation device of this embodiment, the liquid injection portion of the injection nozzle is submerged in the liquid in the container. Therefore, when high-pressure liquid is injected from the liquid injection portion, the liquid in the container around the injection flow becomes low pressure, and fine bubbles are generated. This generates a bubble cloud around the liquid injection flow, and the bubble cloud is irradiated onto the active material separation surface of the battery component. As a result, the active material on the active material separation surface is efficiently separated from the battery component by irradiation with the fine bubble cloud. In the separation device of this embodiment, the high-pressure liquid sprayed from the spray nozzle does not collide with the liquid surface in the container, thereby suppressing unnecessary energy loss. Furthermore, because the bubble cloud spreads over a wide area around the liquid spray, the bubble cloud irradiated onto the active material separation surface simultaneously exerts a separation effect over a wide area of ​​the active material separation surface. Therefore, when the separation device of this embodiment is adopted, it is possible to efficiently separate the active material from the battery components. Furthermore, in the separation device of this embodiment, the active material is separated from the battery component by irradiating a fine cloud of bubbles onto the active material separation surface, thereby suppressing deformation of the substrate of the battery component due to direct collision of the high-pressure liquid with the battery component.

[0013] The battery support part desirably supports the battery member so that the active material separation surface has an inclination angle with respect to an imaginary plane (for example, imaginary plane v in the embodiment) perpendicular to the spray direction of the high-pressure liquid.

[0014] In this case, the bubble cloud generated by the injection of high-pressure liquid from the injection nozzle hits a wide area on the active material separation surface, resulting in more efficient separation of the active material. Furthermore, even when the high-pressure liquid injected from the injection nozzle directly hits the battery components, the active material separation surface is inclined relative to the injection direction of the liquid, so that the impact acting on the core material of the battery components can be mitigated.

[0015] The battery support portion may be configured so that an angle of inclination relative to the imaginary plane is adjustable.

[0016] In this case, the attitude of the battery components can be adjusted to an optimal tilt angle for each electrode component, enabling more efficient separation of the active material.

[0017] The battery support portion may support the battery member so that the inclination angle with respect to the imaginary plane is 90°.

[0018] In this case, it is possible to efficiently strike the active material separation surface with only the bubble cloud generated around the high-pressure liquid jet. Even if the jet pressure of the liquid jetted from the jet nozzle is increased, the liquid jet is less likely to directly strike the battery components. Therefore, when this configuration is adopted, it is possible to efficiently separate the active material with the bubble cloud while suppressing deformation of the battery component substrate.

[0019] The battery support portion may support a plurality of the battery components, and the active material separation surfaces of the plurality of battery components may be arranged in a periphery of the jet of high-pressure liquid.

[0020] In this case, the bubble cloud generated around the liquid jet can be simultaneously irradiated onto the active material separation surfaces of multiple battery components, thereby enabling efficient active material separation for multiple battery components.

[0021] The battery support portion may support a pair of the battery members, and the pair of battery members may be arranged such that the active material separation surfaces of the respective battery members face each other across the jet of high-pressure liquid.

[0022] In this case, even if the area of ​​the active material separation surface of each battery component is large, it is possible to bring the active material separation surfaces of the pair of battery components sufficiently close to the bubble cloud that is generated as the liquid is sprayed.

[0023] The battery support portion may be movable in both horizontal and vertical directions.

[0024] In this case, it becomes possible to adjust the position of the cell member so that the bubble cloud generated around the liquid jet hits an appropriate position on the cell member.

[0025] Furthermore, a method for separating an active material according to one aspect of the present invention is a method for separating an active material from a battery component containing the active material, characterized in that a high-pressure liquid is sprayed onto the battery component in a liquid, and the active material is separated by a bubble cloud (e.g., bubble cloud 65 in an embodiment) that is generated around the spray flow of the high-pressure liquid.

[0026] When the active material separation method of this embodiment is adopted, it becomes possible to efficiently separate the active material from the battery component by a bubble cloud, which is a collection of fine bubbles. Moreover, with this method, the active material is separated from the battery component by a bubble cloud generated around the liquid jet, so it becomes possible to efficiently separate the active material from a wide area of ​​the battery component. Furthermore, when this method is adopted, it becomes possible to suppress deformation of the substrate of the battery component due to direct impact of the high-pressure liquid jet on the battery component. [Effects of the Invention]

[0027] According to the present invention, the active material can be efficiently separated from the battery components without applying excessive stress to the battery components due to the jet of liquid. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an active material separation device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing another example of use of the active material separation device of the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing yet another example of use of the active material separation device of the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing yet another example of use of the active material separation device of the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of an active material separation device according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0030] First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an active material separation device 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as "separation device 1") of this embodiment. The separation device 1 is a device that separates active material from a battery component 70. The separation device 1 includes a container 10 that stores a liquid 22, a battery support part 50 that supports the battery component 70 inside the container 10, an injection nozzle 20 that injects high-pressure liquid 22 onto an active material separation surface 70a (surface to be separated) of the battery component 70, and a control part (not shown) that controls devices inside and outside the container 10.

[0031] The container 10 has a body 110 having an internal space extending in the vertical direction, a first reduced diameter section 120 disposed within the body 110 and tapering downward, a collection section 130 connected to the first reduced diameter section 120, a second reduced diameter section 140 connected to the collection section 130 and tapering downward, and a lid 150 disposed above the body 110 and covering an upper opening of the body 110. The first reduced diameter section 120 is provided on its upper surface with a contact section 121 having a shape corresponding to the shape of a lower surface edge 34 of a moving table 30, which will be described later. A collection filter 40 corresponding to the shape of the collection section 130 is disposed in the collection section 130.

[0032] The container 10 also includes an exhaust port 160, a first waste liquid section 170, and a second waste liquid section 180. The exhaust port 160 is provided by penetrating the wall surface near the upper side of the body 110. The exhaust port 160 is arranged in a position on the wall surface of the body 110 that is above the liquid level S of the liquid 22 in the container 10. The exhaust port 160 discharges unnecessary gas generated inside the container 10 to the outside of the container 10.

[0033] The first waste liquid section 170 is a tubular member, and is connected to the lower end of the second reduced diameter section 140 inside the body section 110. The liquid 22 in the container 10 flows downward together with the active material separated from the battery components 70. The active material is collected by the collection filter 40, and the liquid 22 passes through the collection filter 40 and is discharged to the outside of the container 10 via the first waste liquid section 170.

[0034] The first waste liquid section 170 is provided with a first on-off valve 171. With the first on-off valve 171 closed, the liquid 22 is introduced into the container 10 from the spray nozzle 20 or the like. The liquid 22 is introduced into the container 10 until the liquid level S thereof reaches a specified height that is higher than the upper surface of the battery components 70. As a result, the battery components 70 are submerged below the liquid level of the liquid 22 inside the container 10.

[0035] Second waste liquid section 180 is a tubular member connected to body section 110 so as to communicate with the interior of body section 110. Liquid 22 stored inside container 10 can be discharged to the outside of container 10 through second waste liquid section 180. When discharging liquid 22 from the inside of container 10, first waste liquid section 170 and second waste liquid section 180 are opened simultaneously, thereby increasing the discharge speed of liquid 22.

[0036] Furthermore, second waste liquid section 180 is connected to body section 110 at a position higher than first reduced diameter section 120. Therefore, the amount of active material contained in liquid 22 discharged from second waste liquid section 180 is small. Therefore, discharge of liquid 22 proceeds without a decrease in the recovery rate of active material in container 10. Furthermore, second waste liquid section 180 is provided with second on-off valve 181. When second on-off valve 181 is closed, a larger volume of liquid 22 can be stored inside container 10.

[0037] A spray nozzle 20 that sprays high-pressure liquid 22 is attached to the lid 150 of the container 10. The spray nozzle 20 extends downward from the lid 150, and a liquid spray unit 20a is provided at its lower end. The high-pressure liquid 22 is sprayed vertically downward from the liquid spray unit 20a. The liquid spray unit 20a is disposed at a height position where it is submerged in the liquid 22 in the container 10 when separating the active material from the active material separation surface 70a of the battery component 70. In other words, the tip of the liquid spray unit 20a is disposed at a position lower than the liquid level S of the liquid 22 stored in the container 10.

[0038] The liquid 22 sprayed from the spray nozzle 20 is a liquid that reacts with the solid electrolyte material contained in the battery component 70. Examples of the liquid 22 that can be used include protic polar solvents, and specific examples include water, ethanol, methanol, and acetone.

[0039] The liquid 22 stored in the container 10 can be the same liquid as the liquid 22 sprayed from the spray nozzle 20. However, in this case, the liquid 22 stored in the container 10 will be mixed with dissolved components of the battery components 70. The liquid 22 may be introduced into the container 10 through the spray nozzle 20, or the liquid 22 may be introduced from a separate inlet (not shown) before the spray of the liquid 22 from the spray nozzle 20 begins.

[0040] The battery support section 50 includes a movable table 30 held inside the container 10 so as to be movable in the horizontal and vertical directions, a fixed base 51 for fixing the battery component 70, and an inclination angle adjustment mechanism 52 for connecting the fixed base 51 to the movable table 30 so that the angle can be adjusted.

[0041] The basic position of the movable table 30 is a position in which the upper surface is horizontal. The tilt angle adjustment mechanism 52 is configured to include, for example, a columnar stay 52a erected in the center of the upper surface of the movable table 30, a movable block 52b rotatably connected to the upper end of the stay 52a via a rotation shaft 53, and a locking unit (not shown) that fixes the rotation angle of the movable block 52b relative to the stay 52a. The rotation shaft 53 of the tilt angle adjustment mechanism 52 is an axis that extends horizontally. A fixed base 51 is connected to the upper surface of the movable block 52b.

[0042] The fixing base 51 has a substantially flat mounting surface 51a on the side away from the rotation shaft 53 with the movable block 52b in between. The battery component 70 is placed on the mounting surface 51a and fixed in this state by an appropriate fixing means. In this case, it is desirable to set the active material separation surface 70a of the battery component 70 so that it faces vertically upward when the mounting surface 51a of the fixing base 51 is in a horizontal position. The active material separation surface 70a of the battery member 70 refers to the outer surface portion of the battery member 70 that is the target of the separation process when the active material is separated from the battery member 70. The active material separation surface 70a can be changed as appropriate depending on how the battery member 70 is fixed to the fixing base 51. For example, when the battery member 70 has a plate shape as shown in FIG. 1, it is desirable that the surface of the outer surface portion of the battery member 70 that has the largest area be the active material separation surface 70a.

[0043] The movable table 30 can be moved and adjusted to any horizontal position by, for example, a plurality of support shafts 31 extending horizontally. The plurality of support shafts 31 can be moved forward and backward by an actuator (not shown). The actuator is controlled by a control unit (not shown). The movable table 30 can be moved and adjusted to a desired horizontal position via the support shafts 31, thereby adjusting the horizontal position of the battery component 70 on the fixed base 51 (battery support portion 50). By adjusting the horizontal position of the battery component 70 in this way, the horizontal position relative to the liquid injection portion 20a of the injection nozzle 20 is adjusted.

[0044] The movable table 30 can be moved and adjusted to any position in the vertical direction (up and down) by, for example, a plurality of support shafts 33 extending vertically. The plurality of support shafts 33 can be moved forward and backward by an actuator (not shown). The actuator is controlled by a control unit (not shown). The movable table 30 can be moved and adjusted to a desired position in the vertical direction via the support shafts 33, thereby adjusting the vertical position of the battery component 70 on the fixed base 51 (battery support portion 50). By adjusting the vertical position of the battery component 70 in this manner, the distance between the liquid spray portion 20a of the spray nozzle 20 and the active material separation surface 70a can be adjusted.

[0045] The multiple support shafts 33 extending in the vertical direction can be raised and lowered independently. By changing the heights of the support shafts 33 arranged on one side of the central axis of the approximately cylindrical moving table 30 and the support shafts 33 arranged on the other side, the upper surface of the moving table 30 can be tilted relative to the horizontal. If the moving table 30 is not tilted, even after the active material separation process is completed, the active material is likely to remain on the upper surface of the moving table 30. Therefore, in order to remove the active material remaining on the upper surface of the moving table 30, a process of rinsing it with water or the like is carried out, and by tilting the moving table 30, it becomes easier to remove the active material remaining on the upper surface of the moving table 30.

[0046] The lower edge 34 of the moving table 30 has a shape corresponding to the shape of the contact portion 121 of the first reduced diameter portion 120. When the moving table 30 moves vertically downward at approximately the center position of the body portion 110, the lower edge 34 of the moving table 30 comes into contact with the contact portion 121 of the first reduced diameter portion 120 over its periphery. This divides the interior of the container 10 into a first space above the contact portion 121 and a second space below the contact portion 121.

[0047] When the liquid 22 is discharged from the inside of the container 10 through the first waste liquid section 170 and the second waste liquid section 180, the active material that has settled on the collection filter 40 and the first reduced diameter section 120 may float up in the liquid 22. In this case, the raised active material may be discharged to the outside from the second waste liquid section 180 together with the liquid 22. However, when the liquid 22 is stored in the container 10 and the active material is settled near the collection filter 40 in the first reduced diameter section 120 and on the collection filter 40, if the lower surface edge 34 of the moving table 30 comes into contact with the contact portion 121 of the first reduced diameter section 120, the inside of the container 10 is divided into the first space and the second space described above. Therefore, even if the active material is raised up when the liquid 22 is discharged, the active material is prevented from floating up into the first space, and thus the active material can be prevented from being discharged from the second waste liquid section 180. As a result, the decrease in the recovery rate of the active material is suppressed.

[0048] A liquid level detector 55 for detecting the liquid level of the liquid 22 in the container 10 is installed on the lid 150 to which the injection nozzle 20 is attached. The liquid level detector 55 is configured, for example, by a laser displacement meter or the like. In the case of a laser displacement meter, a laser is emitted downward to measure the height of the liquid level S. Information on the liquid level detected by the liquid level detector 55 is output to a control unit (not shown). Based on the input information, the control unit adjusts the amount of liquid 22 flowing into the container 10 and the amount of liquid 22 discharged out of the container 10, thereby accurately controlling the height of the liquid level S of the liquid 22 in the container 10.

[0049] Furthermore, the height of the liquid level S of the liquid 22 stored in the container 10 is adjusted to be higher than the lower end of the liquid spraying portion 20a of the spray nozzle 20. The battery components 70 are positioned below the liquid spraying portion 20a of the spray nozzle 20 during the active material separation process. Therefore, the liquid level S of the liquid 22 stored in the container 10 is also higher than the upper surface of the battery components 70. That is, the battery components 70 are submerged below the liquid level of the liquid 22 in the container 10. The liquid spraying portion 20a of the spray nozzle 20 is also submerged below the liquid level of the liquid 22 in the container 10. Therefore, the high-pressure liquid 22 sprayed from the liquid spraying portion 20a of the spray nozzle 20 is sprayed toward the battery components 70 in the liquid 22 in the container 10. At this time, the high-pressure liquid 22 sprayed from the liquid spraying portion 20a does not collide with the liquid level S in the container 10, and therefore the energy of the sprayed high-pressure liquid 22 is not significantly attenuated.

[0050] When the high-pressure liquid 22 is sprayed vertically downward from the liquid spray portion 20a of the spray nozzle 20 into the liquid 22 in the container 10, the surrounding liquid 22 in the container 10 is drawn into the jet of the high-pressure liquid 22. As a result, the liquid 22 around the jet becomes low pressure, generating a plurality of fine bubbles. The generated plurality of bubbles form a bubble cloud 65 surrounding the jet and proceed downward. Below the jet of the high-pressure liquid 22, a battery component 70 supported by a fixing base 51 (battery support portion 50) is disposed. At this time, the bubble cloud 65 surrounding the jet is mainly irradiated onto the active material separation surface 70a of the battery component 70.

[0051] 1, the active material separation surface 70a of the battery component 70 is disposed so as to be perpendicular to the spray direction of the high-pressure liquid 22 sprayed from the spray nozzle 20. In other words, the active material separation surface 70a is disposed in a horizontal position facing upward. In this state, the active material separation surface 70a is in a state where it has no inclination angle with respect to an imaginary plane v that is perpendicular to the spray direction of the high-pressure liquid 22 sprayed from the spray nozzle 20 (it is parallel to the imaginary plane v). As described above, the bubble cloud 65 irradiated onto the active material separation surface 70a is distributed over a wide area around the jet of high-pressure liquid 22, so that a wide area of ​​active material is separated at once on the active material separation surface 70a. In addition, because the bubble cloud 65 is a collection of fine bubbles, no large stress acts on the core material of the battery component 70.

[0052] 2 to 4 are longitudinal cross-sectional views of a part of the separation device 1 showing a different use example from that shown in FIG. 2. In FIGS. 2 to 4, a part of FIG. 1 is shown enlarged. In the use example of Fig. 1, the active material separation surface 70a of the battery component 70 has no inclination angle (inclination angle 0°) with respect to the above-mentioned imaginary plane v. In contrast to this, in the use example of Fig. 2, the active material separation surface 70a of the battery component 70 has an inclination angle of approximately 60° with respect to the above-mentioned imaginary plane v through adjustment by the inclination angle adjustment mechanism 52. Furthermore, in the use examples of Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, the active material separation surface 70a of the battery component 70 has inclination angles of approximately 90° and 105° with respect to the above-mentioned imaginary plane v, respectively.

[0053] In the example of use shown in Figure 2, the battery component 70 is held so that the active material separation surface 70a has an inclination angle of approximately 60° with respect to the imaginary plane v, so that the jet of high-pressure liquid 22 does not hit the active material separation surface 70a at a right angle, and the bubble cloud 65 around the jet is irradiated over a wider area of ​​the active material separation surface 70a at once.

[0054] In addition, in the example of use shown in Figure 3, the active material separation surface 70a is approximately parallel to the jet of high-pressure liquid 22, making it difficult for the jet of high-pressure liquid 22 to directly hit the active material separation surface 70a, and almost only the surrounding bubble cloud 65 is irradiated over a wide area of ​​the active material separation surface 70a.

[0055] In addition, in the example of use shown in Figure 4, the active material separation surface 70a is oriented so that it faces diagonally downward relative to the jet of high-pressure liquid 22, so that the jet of high-pressure liquid 22 does not directly hit the active material separation surface 70a, and the bubble cloud 65, which spreads widely downward, is irradiated over a wider area of ​​the active material separation surface 70a at once. When the active material separation surface 70a of the battery component 70 is arranged at an inclination angle with respect to the above-mentioned virtual plane v, it is desirable that the inclination angle θ be in the range of 60°≦θ≦105°, in consideration of improving the separation efficiency of the active material and reducing the stress on the battery component 70.

[0056] The battery component 70 to be treated by the separation device 1 contains, for example, a positive electrode active material containing Li and a solid electrolyte material. The battery component 70 may also contain at least one of a conductive material and a negative electrode active material.

[0057] The positive electrode active material is not particularly limited, but may contain, for example, Li. The positive electrode active material is generally insoluble in the liquid 22. Examples of the positive electrode active material include a layered positive electrode active material, a spinel-type positive electrode active material, and an olivine-type positive electrode active material. Examples of the layered positive electrode active material include LiCoO2, LiNiO2, LiCo1 / 3Ni1 / 3Mn1 / 3O2, LiVO2, and LiCrO2. Examples of the spinel-type positive electrode active material include LiMn2O4, LiCoMnO4, Li2NiMn3O8, and LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4. Examples of the olivine-type positive electrode active material include LiCoPO4, LiMnPO4, and LiFePO4.

[0058] The solid electrolyte material contains a component that dissolves in the liquid 22. The solid electrolyte material contains, for example, Li and S. It is preferable that the solid electrolyte material does not contain a component that is insoluble in the liquid 22. If the solid electrolyte material contains only a component that dissolves in the liquid 22, separation of the insoluble component from the positive electrode active material is not required, making it easier to recover the positive electrode active material. Examples of solid electrolyte materials containing Li and S include those containing Li, S, and a third component. Examples of the third component include at least one selected from the group consisting of P, Ge, B, Si, I, Al, Ga, and As. The sulfide solid electrolyte material may be a compound containing LiS and a sulfide other than LiS.

[0059] Examples of negative electrode active materials include metal active materials and carbon active materials. Examples of metal active materials include In, Al, Si, and Sn. Examples of carbon active materials include mesocarbon microbeads, highly oriented graphite, hard carbon, and soft carbon.

[0060] Examples of the conductive material include acetylene black and carbon fiber.

[0061] The battery member 70 may also have a current collecting foil, which may be, for example, an aluminum foil provided on the positive electrode of the battery member 70 or a copper foil provided on the negative electrode of the battery member 70.

[0062] The control unit that controls the devices disposed inside and outside the container 10 is realized by hardware including, for example, a computing device such as a CPU, a main storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an auxiliary storage device such as a hard disk or a flash memory. The control unit may be configured by one piece of hardware or by multiple pieces of hardware. The control unit may also be realized by an embedded system.

[0063] So far, the configuration of the separation device 1 of this embodiment has been described. Next, an example of a method for separating active material from a battery component 70 using the separation device 1 of this embodiment will be described.

[0064] First, with the first on-off valve 171 and the second on-off valve 181 closed, the battery components 70 are placed on the upper surface of the fixing base 51 of the battery support part 50. Next, the liquid 22 is introduced into the container 10 from the upper spray nozzle 20 or the like. At this time, the flow rate of the liquid 22 introduced into the container 10 is controlled by the control unit so that the battery components 70 and the liquid spray part 20a of the spray nozzle 20 are submerged in the liquid 22 at a specified liquid level. In detail, while introducing the liquid 22 stored inside the container 10, the liquid level detector 55 measures the height of the liquid level S. The control unit receives information about the liquid level from the liquid level detector 55 and adjusts the amount of liquid 22 introduced so that the liquid level S in the container reaches a specified height.

[0065] In addition, at any time before or after the introduction of the above-mentioned liquid 22, the horizontal and vertical positions of the moving table 30 of the battery support part 50 are adjusted to appropriate positions, and the angle at which the active material separation surface 70a of the battery component 70 faces is also appropriately adjusted by the inclination angle adjustment mechanism 52.

[0066] Next, high-pressure liquid 22 is sprayed from the liquid spraying portion 20a of the spray nozzle 20, which is submerged in the liquid 22 in the container 10, toward the active material separation surface 70a of the battery component 70. As a result, the above-mentioned bubble cloud 65 is generated around the jet of liquid 22 from the liquid spraying portion 20a, and the bubble cloud 65 is irradiated onto the active material separation surface 70a. The active material on the active material separation surface 70a is separated from the active material separation surface 70a by the irradiation of the bubble cloud 65, and falls downward through the liquid 22.

[0067] The active material separated from the active material separation surface 70a falls downward and is collected by the collection filter 40. Note that a portion of the liquid 22 in the container 10, which increases as a result of the spraying of the liquid 22 from the spray nozzle 20, is appropriately discharged to the outside through the second waste liquid section 180 by opening the on-off valve 181.

[0068] After the above-mentioned irradiation of the bubble cloud 65 has been performed on one location on the active material separation surface 70a, the position of the battery member 70 is appropriately moved through the battery support part 50, and the moved position is similarly irradiated with the bubble cloud 65. This irradiation of the bubble cloud 65 is repeated until the active material is ionized from almost the entire area of ​​the battery member 70.

[0069] When the above-mentioned process of separating the active material from the battery component 70 is completed, the spraying of the high-pressure liquid 22 from the spray nozzle 20 is stopped and the mixture is allowed to stand, which allows the precipitation of the active material to proceed.

[0070] After the container 10 is left standing, the movable table 30 is lowered so that the contact portion 121 of the first reduced diameter portion 120 comes into contact with the lower surface edge portion 34 of the movable table 30. This divides the interior of the container 10 into a first space below the contact portion 121 and a second space above the contact portion 121.

[0071] Thereafter, the first on-off valve 171 and the second on-off valve 181 are opened, and the liquid 22 stored in the container 10 is discharged to the outside of the container 10. At this time, the first waste liquid section 170 discharges the liquid 22 stored in the first space, and the second waste liquid section 180 discharges the liquid 22 stored in the second space. As a result, the active material is collected by the collection filter 40.

[0072] If necessary, the movable table 30 is moved upward to release the contact between the contact portion 121 and the lower surface edge 34 of the movable table 30, and the upper surface of the movable table 30 is tilted by raising and lowering the support shaft 33 extending in the vertical direction. After the movable table 30 is tilted, high-pressure liquid 22 is sprayed from the spray nozzle 20 toward the movable table 30. This removes the active material remaining on the movable table 30 from the movable table 30, and the removed active material is collected in the collection filter 40.

[0073] As described above, the separation device 1 of this embodiment is disposed at a position where the liquid injection portion 20a of the injection nozzle 20 is submerged in the liquid 22 in the container 10. When the high-pressure liquid 22 is injected from the liquid injection portion 20a, a bubble cloud 65 is generated around the injection flow, and the bubble cloud 65 is irradiated onto the active material separation surface 70a of the battery component 70. Therefore, when the separation device 1 of this embodiment is used, the bubble cloud 65 can efficiently separate the active material from the active material separation surface 70a. Furthermore, in the separation device 1 of this embodiment, the high-pressure liquid 22 sprayed from the spray nozzle 20 does not collide with the liquid surface S in the container 10, thereby suppressing unnecessary energy loss. Furthermore, the bubble cloud 65 is generated and spreads over a wide area around the spray flow of the liquid 22, so that active material can be separated from a wide area on the active material separation surface 70a at one time. Furthermore, the separation device 1 of this embodiment separates the active material from the battery component 70 by irradiating the active material separation surface 70a with the bubble cloud 65, thereby suppressing deformation of the base material of the battery component 70 caused by the high-pressure liquid 22 directly hitting the battery component 70. That is, the separation device 1 of this embodiment can hit the bubble cloud 65 over a wide area on the active material separation surface 70a without significantly increasing the discharge pressure of the liquid 22 sprayed from the spray nozzle 20. Therefore, even if the liquid 22 sprayed from the spray nozzle 20 hits the active material separation surface 70a, deformation of the base material of the battery component 70 is unlikely to occur. Therefore, when the separation device 1 of this embodiment is employed, the active material can be efficiently separated from the battery components 70 without excessive stress being applied to the battery components 70 by the jet of the liquid 22.

[0074] 2 to 4, the separation device 1 of this embodiment can provide an inclination angle (excluding 0°) on the active material separation surface 70a of the battery component 70 with respect to an imaginary plane v perpendicular to the spray direction of the liquid 22 from the spray nozzle 20. When the active material separation surface 70a of the battery component 70 is provided with an inclination angle in this manner, the bubble cloud 65 generated by the spray of the high-pressure liquid 22 from the spray nozzle 20 impinges on a wider area of ​​the active material separation surface 70a. This can further improve the efficiency of separation of the active material from the battery component 70. Furthermore, even when the high-pressure liquid 22 sprayed from the spray nozzle 20 directly collides with the battery component 70, the active material separation surface 70a is inclined with respect to the spray direction of the liquid 22, thereby mitigating the impact acting on the core material of the battery component 70.

[0075] Furthermore, the battery support part 50 of the separation device 1 of this embodiment is configured so that the inclination angle of the active material separation surface 70a with respect to the imaginary plane v perpendicular to the spray direction of the liquid 22 from the spray nozzle 20 can be adjusted to any angle. This makes it possible to adjust the posture of the battery component 70 to an optimal inclination angle for each battery component 70. Therefore, the separation device 1 equipped with the battery support part 50 of this embodiment can further improve the efficiency of separation of the active material from the battery component 70.

[0076] 3, when the inclination angle of the active material separation surface 70a with respect to the virtual plane v is set to 90°, the separation device 1 of this embodiment can efficiently impinge only on the active material separation surface 70a with a bubble cloud 65 generated around the jet of high-pressure liquid 22. Therefore, even if the jet pressure of the liquid 22 jetted from the jet nozzle 20 is increased, the jet of liquid 22 is less likely to directly impinge on the battery component 70. Therefore, when this configuration is adopted, it is possible to efficiently separate the active material with the bubble cloud 65 while suppressing deformation of the base material of the battery component 70.

[0077] Furthermore, in the separation device 1 of this embodiment, the moving table 30 (battery support part 50) that supports the battery component 70 is movable in the horizontal and vertical directions. This makes it possible to adjust the position of the battery component 70 so that the bubble cloud 65 generated around the jet of liquid 22 hits an appropriate position on the battery component 70. Therefore, when this configuration is adopted, the efficiency of separation of the active material from the battery component 70 can be further improved.

[0078] The active material separation method employed in this embodiment involves spraying high-pressure liquid 22 onto battery component 70 in liquid 22, and separating the active material from battery component 70 by bubble cloud 65 generated around the spray of high-pressure liquid 22. Therefore, when this method is employed, it is possible to efficiently separate active material from a wide range of battery component 70, and also to suppress deformation of the base material of battery component 70.

[0079] Second Embodiment FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a portion of an active material separation apparatus 101 (hereinafter simply referred to as "separation apparatus 101") of this embodiment. The separation device 101 has a basic configuration that is almost the same as that of the first embodiment described above, but the configuration of the battery support part 50A that supports the battery components 70 is different from that of the first embodiment. The battery support part 50A of this embodiment has a pair of fixed bases 51 installed on the upper surface of the moving table 30.

[0080] The pair of fixing bases 51 are placed on the movable table 30 so that their mounting surfaces 51a, on which the battery components 70 are fixed, face each other. Each fixing base 51 is placed on the movable table 30 so that the mounting surface 51a and the active material separation surface 70a of the battery components 70 fixed to the mounting surface 51a are inclined at an angle of 90° with respect to an imaginary plane v (an imaginary plane perpendicular to the spray direction of the high-pressure liquid 22 sprayed from the spray nozzle 20). A predetermined gap is secured between the active material separation surface 70a of the battery component 70 fixed to one fixing base 51 and the active material separation surface 70a of the battery component 70 fixed to the other fixing base 51. The jet of the high-pressure liquid 22 from the spray nozzle 20 is sprayed toward the gap between the active material separation surfaces 70a of the two battery components 70 arranged opposite each other. At this time, the bubble cloud 65 generated around the jet of liquid 22 is irradiated onto the active material separation surfaces 70a of the two battery members 70 simultaneously.

[0081] In the separation device 101 of this embodiment, the active material separation surfaces 70a of the two battery components 70 supported by the respective fixing stages 51 are positioned in the periphery of the jet of liquid 22, and therefore the bubble cloud 65 generated around the jet of liquid 22 can be simultaneously irradiated onto the active material separation surfaces 70a of the two battery components 70. Therefore, when this configuration is adopted, active materials can be efficiently separated from a plurality of battery components 70.

[0082] In particular, in the separation device 101 of this embodiment, the active material separation surfaces 70a of the two battery components 70 are arranged to face each other across the jet of high-pressure liquid 22, so that even if the area (outer shape) of the active material separation surface 70a of each battery component 70 is large, the active material separation surfaces 70a of the pair of battery components 70 can be arranged sufficiently close to the bubble cloud 65 generated by the jet of liquid 22. Therefore, active materials can be efficiently separated from the two battery components 70. However, it is also possible to provide three or more fixing bases 51 to which the battery components 70 are fixed, and to position the active material separation surfaces 70a of the battery components 70 fixed to each fixing base 51 in the periphery of the jet of the liquid 22 from the spray nozzle 20. In this case, if the area (external shape) of the active material separation surfaces 70a of each battery component 70 is small, the active material separation surfaces 70a can be brought sufficiently close to the bubble cloud 65 without causing interference between the battery components 70. This makes it possible to efficiently separate active materials from three or more battery components 70.

[0083] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various design modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the battery support parts 50, 50A disposed in the container 10 are supported by a plurality of support shafts 31, 33 and are movable in the horizontal and vertical directions, but the mechanism for moving the battery support parts 50, 50A is not limited to this. The movement mechanism may be, for example, a mechanism using a ball screw or a rack and pinion.

[0084] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the spray nozzle 20 is attached to the lid 150 of the container 10, but the spray nozzle 20 may be attached to a location other than the lid 150. The spray nozzle 20 may be fixed to the body 110 of the container, for example, via a dedicated bracket.

[0085] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the spray direction of the high-pressure liquid 22 from the spray nozzle 20 is set vertically downward, but the spray direction of the high-pressure liquid 22 may be a direction other than vertically downward. The spray direction of the spray nozzle 20 may be inclined relative to the vertical direction as long as the liquid spraying section 20a is submerged in the liquid 22 in the container 10. However, from the viewpoint of allowing the active material separated from the battery components 70 to quickly fall below the liquid 22, it is desirable to spray the liquid 22 vertically downward as in the above embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 1,101...Active material separation device 10...Container 20...Injection nozzle 20a...Liquid injection part 22…Liquid 50,50A…Battery support part 65...Bubble cloud 70...Battery components 70a…Active material separation surface v...imaginary plane S…liquid level

Claims

1. An active material separation device for separating an active material from a battery component containing the active material, a container for storing a liquid; a battery support portion disposed inside the container and supporting the battery member; a spray nozzle that sprays high-pressure liquid onto the active material separation surface of the battery component that is submerged in the liquid in the container, The active material separation device is characterized in that the injection nozzle has a liquid injection portion that injects the high-pressure liquid and is disposed at a position inside the container where it is submerged in the liquid.

2. 2. The active material separation device according to claim 1, wherein the battery support portion supports the battery component so that the active material separation surface has an inclination angle with respect to an imaginary plane perpendicular to the spray direction of the high-pressure liquid.

3. 3. The active material separation device according to claim 2, wherein the battery support portion is configured so that the angle of inclination of the battery support portion with respect to the imaginary plane is adjustable.

4. 3. The active material separation device according to claim 2, wherein the battery support portion supports the battery components so that the inclination angle with respect to the imaginary plane is 90 degrees.

5. the battery support portion supports a plurality of the battery components, 5. The active material separation device according to claim 4, wherein the active material separation surfaces of the plurality of battery components are arranged in the periphery of the high-pressure liquid jet.

6. the battery support portion supports a pair of the battery members, 5. The active material separation device according to claim 4, wherein the pair of battery components are arranged such that the active material separation surfaces of the battery components face each other across the jet of high-pressure liquid.

7. 2. The active material separation device according to claim 1, wherein the battery support part is movable in both horizontal and vertical directions.

8. A method for separating an active material from a battery component containing the active material, comprising: A method for separating an active material, comprising spraying a high-pressure liquid onto the battery component in a liquid, and separating the active material by a cloud of bubbles generated around the spray of the high-pressure liquid.

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