Battery Packaging

Abstract

Disclosed is a computer-implemented method for providing a material identifier package usable for recycling a battery, the method comprising the steps of: - providing at least one battery identifier and corresponding material composition data associated with at least one component of the battery to be recycled; - determining at least one material identifier package by associating at least one material configuration provided by said material configuration data with at least one material configuration processable by at least one plant; - providing at least one material identifier package usable for recycling batteries, the material identifier package including at least one battery identifier; Includes.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a computer-implemented method, and respective systems, devices, uses and computer elements, for providing a material identifier package that can be used for recycling batteries. [Background technology]

[0002] The general background of this disclosure is related to battery recycling. There is an increasing interest in battery recycling worldwide due to the increase in portable electronic devices and automation. With the advent of e-mobility, it is expected that the number of used lithium-ion batteries will increase. Since batteries contain important transition metals such as cobalt, nickel and lithium, used lithium-ion batteries can be a valuable source of raw materials for the production of lithium-ion batteries. Therefore, there is an increasing research work aimed at recycling transition metals and lithium from used lithium-ion batteries or from batteries and parts thereof that do not meet the standards and requirements, and such off-specification materials and production waste can also be a source of recycled materials. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] The process of recycling batteries is very decentralized and inflexible. Due to the increasing need for recycling batteries, there is a need to operate the recycling process in a more reliable and flexible manner. US2016371658 discloses (i) using a mobile device to identify recyclable materials based on a detected oscillation frequency of an oscillator associated with the recyclable materials, and (iii) creating a scheduling instruction for the identified recyclable materials by a controller. WO2013184217 discloses a method, system, and apparatus for receiving a first plurality of product identifiers associated with products purchased by a consumer and forming a purchase record. A second plurality of product identifiers associated with products recycled by the consumer are received. The record of purchased products recycled by the consumer is authenticated. US2014106185 discloses that a rechargeable battery can be recycled through a cycle including one or more of determining a battery condition while the rechargeable battery may be used in a network-connectable device, updating a rechargeable battery database with the battery condition via a network, determining a recycling instruction, and outputting the recycling instruction to the network-connectable device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] Disclosed is a computer-implemented method for providing a material identifier package usable for recycling a battery, the method comprising the steps of: - providing at least one battery identifier and corresponding material composition data associated with at least one component of the battery to be recycled; - determining at least one material identifier package by associating at least one material configuration provided by the material configuration data with at least one material configuration that can be processed or is processed by the at least one plant; - providing at least one material identifier package usable for recycling batteries, the material identifier package including at least one battery identifier; Includes.

[0005] Disclosed is a computer-implemented method for providing a material identifier package in a distributed computing environment that can be used for recycling materials contained in a product or for operating a product recycling process for recycling materials contained in a product associated with at least one product identifier, the method comprising the steps of: - providing at least one product identifier and corresponding material composition data associated with at least one component of the product to be recycled, where the material composition data associated with the materials used to produce the product or the component of the product is provided by a distributed computing node associated with a producer that produces or uses the materials, and optionally the material composition data associated with the materials used to produce the product or at least one component of the product is accessed by a distributed computing node associated with one or more recycling systems or classification instructions; - determining at least one material identifier package by associating at least one material configuration provided by the material configuration data with at least one material configuration processable by the at least one plant; - providing at least one material identifier package that can be used for recycling materials contained in a product that includes at least one product identifier; - operating the recycling process, preferably by providing a material identifier package for controlling and / or monitoring the recycling system; Includes.

[0006] Disclosed is a computer-implemented method for operating a battery recycling process by providing at least one material identifier package, the method comprising the steps of: - providing at least one battery identifier and corresponding material composition data associated with at least one component of the battery to be recycled; - determining at least one material identifier package by associating at least one material configuration provided by the material configuration data with at least one material configuration that can be processed or is processed by the at least one plant data; - providing at least one material identifier package for operating a recycling process for a battery including at least one battery identifier; Includes.

[0007] Disclosed is a computer-implemented method for operating a product recycling process for recycling materials contained in a product associated with at least one product identifier, the method comprising the steps of: - providing at least one product identifier and corresponding material composition data associated with at least one component of the product to be recycled; - determining at least one material identifier package by associating at least one material configuration provided by the material configuration data with at least one material configuration processable by the at least one plant; - providing at least one material identifier package usable for recycling materials contained in a product that includes at least one product identifier, the at least one material identifier package including a collection of product identifiers associated with at least one product or at least one component of a product to be recycled and at least one material configuration processable by at least one recycling plant; - operating a product recycling process for recycling materials contained in a product associated with the at least one product identifier based on the at least one material identifier package; Includes.

[0008] Disclosed is a computer-implemented method for operating a product recycling process by providing at least one material identifier package, the method comprising the steps of: - providing at least one product identifier and corresponding material composition data associated with at least one component of the product to be recycled; - determining at least one material identifier package by associating at least one material configuration provided by the material configuration data with at least one material configuration processable by the at least one plant; - operating a recycling process for the product by providing at least one material identifier package that can be used for recycling materials contained in the product that includes at least one product identifier; Includes.

[0009] Also disclosed is an apparatus for providing a material identifier package usable for recycling a battery, the apparatus comprising one or more computing nodes; The apparatus includes the steps of: - providing at least one battery identifier and corresponding material composition data associated with at least one component of the battery to be recycled; - determining at least one material identifier package by associating at least one material configuration provided by the material configuration data with at least one material configuration that can be processed or is processed by the at least one plant; - providing at least one material identifier package usable for recycling batteries, the material identifier package including at least one battery identifier; one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions configured to perform Equipped with.

[0010] Also disclosed is an apparatus for operating a battery recycling process by providing at least one material identifier package, the apparatus comprising one or more computing nodes; The apparatus includes the steps of: - providing at least one battery identifier and corresponding material composition data associated with at least one component of the battery to be recycled; - determining at least one material identifier package by associating at least one material configuration provided by the material configuration data with at least one material configuration that can be processed or is processed by the at least one plant data; - providing at least one material identifier package for operating a battery recycling process, the material identifier package including at least one battery identifier; one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions configured to perform Equipped with.

[0011] Disclosed is an apparatus for providing a material identifier package in a distributed computing environment usable for recycling of materials contained in a product or for operating a product recycling process for recycling materials contained in a product associated with at least one product identifier, the apparatus comprising one or more computing nodes; The apparatus includes the steps of: - providing at least one product identifier and corresponding material composition data associated with at least one component of a product to be recycled, where the material composition data associated with materials used to produce the product or at least one component of the product is accessed by distributed computing nodes associated with the one or more recycling systems, and the material composition data associated with materials used to produce the product or at least one component of the product is provided by distributed computing nodes associated with a producer that produces or uses the materials; - determining at least one material identifier package by associating at least one material configuration provided by the material configuration data with at least one material configuration processable by the at least one plant; - providing at least one material identifier package that can be used for recycling materials contained in a product that includes at least one product identifier; - operating the recycling process, preferably by providing a material identifier package for controlling and / or monitoring the recycling system; one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions configured to perform Equipped with.

[0012] Disclosed is an apparatus for operating a product recycling process for recycling materials contained in a product associated with at least one product identifier, the apparatus comprising one or more computing nodes; The apparatus includes the steps of: - providing at least one product identifier and corresponding material composition data associated with at least one component of the product to be recycled; - determining at least one material identifier package by associating at least one material configuration provided by the material configuration data with at least one material configuration processable by the at least one plant; - providing at least one material identifier package usable for recycling materials contained in a product that includes at least one product identifier, the at least one material identifier package including a collection of product identifiers associated with at least one product or at least one component of a product to be recycled and at least one material configuration processable by at least one recycling plant; - operating a product recycling process for recycling materials contained in a product associated with the at least one product identifier based on the at least one material identifier package; one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions configured to perform Equipped with.

[0013] Also disclosed is an apparatus for operating a product recycling process by providing at least one material identifier package, the apparatus comprising one or more computing nodes; The apparatus includes the steps of: - providing at least one product identifier and corresponding material composition data associated with at least one component of the product to be recycled; - determining at least one material identifier package by associating at least one material configuration provided by the material configuration data with at least one material configuration processable by the at least one plant; - operating a recycling process for the product by providing at least one material identifier package that can be used for recycling materials contained in the product that includes at least one product identifier; one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions configured to perform Equipped with.

[0014] Further disclosed is the use of a battery including at least one battery identifier element in any of the methods disclosed herein or in any of the apparatuses disclosed herein. Further disclosed is a method of using a battery including at least one battery identifier element, the method including providing a battery identifier by reading the battery identifier element and generating at least one material identifier package provided by any of the methods disclosed herein or according to any of the apparatuses disclosed herein.

[0015] Further disclosed is the use of a material identifier package provided by any of the methods disclosed herein or by any of the devices disclosed herein to sort, collect, transport, store and / or recycle at least one component of a battery to be recycled. Further disclosed is a method of sorting, collecting, transporting, storing and / or recycling at least one component of a battery to be recycled, the method comprising the steps of providing a material identifier package provided by any of the methods disclosed herein or by any of the devices disclosed herein, generating sorting, collecting, transporting, storing and / or recycling instructions based on the material identifier package, and providing the sorting, collecting, transporting, storing and / or recycling instructions.

[0016] Also disclosed is a method of sorting, collecting, transporting, storing and / or recycling at least one component of a battery to be recycled, the method including the steps of providing at least one material identifier package generated by any of the methods disclosed herein; generating sorting, collecting, transporting, storing and / or recycling instructions based on the provided material identifier package, and providing the sorting, collecting, transporting, storing and / or recycling instructions.

[0017] Further disclosed is an apparatus for sorting, collecting, transporting, storing and / or recycling at least one component of batteries to be recycled, the apparatus comprising one or more computing nodes; and one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions configured to, when executed by the one or more computing nodes, cause the apparatus to perform the following steps: providing at least one material identifier package generated according to any of the methods disclosed herein; generating sorting, collecting, transporting, storing and / or recycling instructions based on the provided material identifier package; and providing the sorting, collecting, transporting, storing and / or recycling instructions.

[0018] Further disclosed are computer elements, such as computer programs or computer readable storage media, comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more computing nodes of a computing environment, are configured to perform the steps of any of the methods disclosed herein and / or to perform the steps provided by any of the apparatuses disclosed herein.

[0019] Embodiment Any disclosures and embodiments described herein relate to the methods, systems, uses, devices and computer elements disclosed herein, and vice versa. Advantages provided by any of the embodiments and examples provided herein apply equally to all other embodiments and examples, and vice versa.

[0020] Advantageously, the disclosure referred to herein provides an efficient, sustainable and robust method for operating a recycling process. By virtually sorting and / or collecting at least one component of the battery to be recycled based on its material composition, and by virtually packing at least one component of the battery to be recycled, the material composition of the resulting recycled material can be virtually tracked. Such tracking can be provided to various participants, including producers, at various stages throughout the recycling process. By tracking the components via identity-based data footprints in a distributed computing environment, the operation of the recycling process becomes simpler since it is operated digitally instead of physically. Such digital operation reduces the complexity of the physical processing environment. For example, the operation of the recycling process and the plant can be simplified. For example, complex separation processes due to inappropriate mixtures in the recycling feed can be avoided, resulting in less demands on purification or other process steps. In particular, by identifier-based sorting or collection, the waste material fed to the recycling process can be managed in terms of its material composition or chemical composition. Furthermore, the quality of the recyclate can be increased since the composition of the recycled material can be tailored to production needs throughout the recycling chain. As a result, by virtually sorting the recycled materials according to their composition throughout the stages of the recycling process, the quality of the recyclates and materials produced from such recyclates can be maintained compared to materials produced solely from natural resources.

[0021] A battery can refer to any structure configured to store power based on electrochemistry. A battery can be, but is not limited to, a structure including a group of two or more cells connected together. A battery can include a lithium-ion battery. A battery can be a battery such as that used in automobiles having multiple cells. A battery can have a kWh value greater than 10 kWh, preferably greater than 15 kWh, more preferably greater than 20 kWh. A battery can have a kWh value of up to 500 kWh, preferably 300 kWh, more preferably 200 kWh or 100 kWh. The kWh value can be between any of these values, such as 10-500 kWh, 15-300 kWh, or 20-200 kWh.

[0022] The at least one component of the battery to be recycled can include a single component of the battery or multiple components of the battery. At least one component of the battery can refer to any component of the battery, any combination of components of the battery, or a battery having all components. The battery component can be an anode active material, a cathode active material, an electrolyte composition, an anode element, a cathode element, a separator, an electrolyte, a battery cell, a battery module, a packing material, a battery management module, a cooling module, a high voltage module, wiring, a battery housing, etc.

[0023] Recycling of batteries as used herein can include any recycling step from the end of life of the battery to a recyclate that can be used to produce a new battery. The new product produced from the recyclate can be a different product type than the battery being recycled. The new product produced from the recyclate can be a new battery produced from the recyclate provided by the battery or at least one of its components being recycled. The recyclate can include metals such as transition metals or other precious metals. The new product can be a material such as a cathode active material produced from the recycled black mass. The recycling steps include collecting, discharging, dismantling, sorting, mechanical processing, chemical processing, thermal processing, or any other step for converting the used material of the battery into a recycled material. Recycling of batteries can include recycling of one or more components of the battery, such as the cathode element or the cathode active material. Recycling of materials contained in the battery can include one or more recycling processes for converting the used material into a recycled material. Recycling of batteries can refer to one or more recycling processes for converting the used material of the battery into a recycled material. The recycled materials can be used in the production of new materials with recycled content. The new materials with recycled content can be used in the production of batteries.

[0024] As used herein, a plant may include any plant that processes batteries, battery components, or battery materials. Such processing may include recycling or production. The plant may perform one or more process steps, such as collection, discharging, dismantling, sorting, mechanical processing, chemical processing, thermal processing, battery production, battery component production, material production, or any other step for converting used materials of used batteries into recycled feedstock or new batteries. Recycling instructions may include collection, sorting, transport, storage, or other process instructions, or any combination thereof, associated with the recycling process. Such recycling instructions may be provided to one or more systems configured to monitor and / or control process steps, such as collection, sorting, transport, storage, or other process instructions, or any combination thereof.

[0025] The material identifier package may include any data structure that associates battery identifiers according to at least one material composition that can be processed or will be processed by at least one recycling plant. The material identifier package may include one or more battery identifiers associated with at least one material composition that can be processed or will be processed by at least one recycling plant. The material identifier package may include a collection of at least one or more components of the battery to be recycled and battery identifiers associated with at least one material composition that can be processed or will be processed by at least one recycling plant. The material identifier package may include any data for collecting, sorting, transporting, storing, processing, or providing the battery for a subsequent recycling step. The material identifier package may include battery identifiers and corresponding material composition data associated with the material composition that can be processed or will be processed by at least one recycling plant. The material identifier package may include battery recycling classification data or instructions. The material identifier package may further include operation data and / or battery location data indicating processing requirements for the material composition. In other words, the material identifier package may include data by which the selection or allocation of the battery or component to be recycled to at least one respective recycling plant is performed.

[0026] The battery identifier may include any identifier uniquely associated with at least one component of the battery to be recycled. The battery identifier may include an identifier associated with the battery and / or at least one component of the battery. The battery identifier may include multiple identifiers associated with the battery and / or at least one component of the battery. The battery identifier may include any unique identifier uniquely associated with the data owner and material composition data associated with at least one component of the battery to be recycled. The battery identifier may include or be associated with one or more distributed identifiers. The distributed identifiers may include one or more universally unique identifiers (UUIDs) or digital identifiers (DIDs). The distributed identifiers may be issued by a central or distributed ID issuer. Through the unique association of the distributed identifiers with the data owner and the material composition data, access to the material composition data may be controlled by the data owner. This is in contrast to a central authority scheme where identifiers are provided by a central authority and access to the data is controlled by such a central authority. Distributed in this context refers to the use of identifiers controlled by the data owner. A data owner of the material configuration data may be a material producer, a component producer that uses materials produced by the material producer to produce one or more components, and / or a battery producer that uses materials produced by the material producer to produce one or more batteries. A data owner of the material identifier package and / or recycled material data may be one or more recycling systems and / or one or more plants, such as a recycler that uses end-of-life batteries to produce recycled materials (e.g., black mass), a recycler that uses black mass to produce recyclates (e.g., transition metals), a material producer, a component producer that uses materials produced by the material producer to produce one or more components, and / or a battery producer that uses materials produced by the material producer to produce one or more batteries.The data owner of the plant data, plant allocation data, and / or operation data may be one or more recycling systems and / or one or more plants, such as a recycler using end-of-life batteries to produce recycled materials (e.g., black mass), a recycler using black mass to produce recyclates (e.g., transition metals), a material producer, a component producer using materials produced by the material producer to produce one or more components, and / or a battery producer using materials produced by the material producer to produce one or more batteries. The distributed identifier may be connected to a digital representation of the material configuration data. The digital representation may include a representation for accessing the material configuration data or a portion thereof. The distributed identifier may be connected to authentication information and / or authorization information. The distributed identifier may further be connected to the battery data.

[0027] The battery identifier element may include any physical configuration that associates a battery identifier with a battery or at least one component of a battery. The battery identifier element may include a passive or active element, such as, but not limited to, a QR code, an RFID tag. The battery identifier element may be a physical identifier that is physically connected to the battery or at least one component of the battery. The identifier element may include a marker embedded in a material, a tag such as a barcode, a QR code, an RFID tag, or a similar physical configuration that can digitally identify the battery or at least one component of the battery.

[0028] The material composition data may include the material composition of the battery or battery component. The material composition data may be associated with at least one material type, at least one material property, and / or a chemical composition associated with at least one component of the battery to be recycled. The material composition data may include the material type, material property, and / or chemical composition of the material used to produce the battery or battery component. The material type, material property, and / or chemical composition may at least partially identify the material composition. The material type may include, but is not limited to, material specifications such as plastics, composites, metal-containing materials, etc. present in the final product, intermediate product, by-product, or raw material. The material properties include, but are not limited to, physical material properties, such as thermodynamic, mechanical, electrodynamic, optical, and acoustic material properties, and chemical material properties, such as standard electrode potential and electronegativity. The chemical composition may correspond to at least one component included in the composition. For example, the chemical composition may be identified by the absolute or relative amounts of one or more elements, chemical compounds, or components included in the material.

[0029] The material composition data can be associated with the material composition of one or more components of the battery. The material composition data can identify the material composition on a component basis. For example, the material composition data can at least partially identify the chemical composition of an electrode active material, an anode active material, an electrolyte, or a housing. The material composition data can be associated with the chemical composition of an electrode active material, such as a cathode active material. The battery identifier can be associated with any component that includes an electrode active material. The component can be an electrode element, such as an anode element or a cathode element, a cell, a cell module, a battery. The battery identifier can be connected to or associated with one or more identifiers related to materials used to produce the battery or at least one component of the battery.

[0030] In one embodiment, the material composition data is provided for access at the time of providing the material for the production of the product, at the time of providing the material for at least one component of the battery, and / or at the time of producing the material used in the production of the battery or at least one component of the product. The material composition data can be accessed at the time of recycling the battery or the component containing the material. The battery identifier can be associated with the battery to be recycled or at least one component of the battery to be recycled. The relationship between the battery identifier and the product, component, or material can be provided before or at the time of production of the product. The battery identifier can be associated with one or more distributed identifiers, at least one distributed identifier associated with the material used to produce the battery or at least one component of the product. The battery identifier can be associated with a relationship representation. The relationship representation can relate the battery identifier to an identifier of the material used to produce the battery or at least one component of the product. The relationship representation can reflect the physical connection of the material and the battery, in other words the use of the material to produce the product. In this way, the battery identifier and the identifier associated with the material used to produce the battery or at least one component of the battery can be connected or associated. Upon receiving the battery identifier, an identifier associated with the materials used to produce the battery or at least one component of the battery can be determined. Material composition data can be obtained based on the identifier associated with the materials used to produce the battery or at least one component of the product, particularly from a material producer.

[0031] The battery identifier may be uniquely associated with the data owner and / or with material composition data associated with the materials used to produce the battery or at least one component of the battery provided prior to or during production of the battery or component, e.g., material, battery, or at least one component of the product. The material composition data may identify the material composition of the materials used to produce the battery or at least one component of the product. Prior to or during production of the material, the battery, or at least one component of the battery may include any point leading to the production of the material, battery, or at least one component of the product. Prior to or during production of the material, the battery, or at least one component of the battery may include the time of production of the material, the time of supply of the material to produce the battery or at least one component of the battery, or the time of production of the battery or at least one component of the product.

[0032] The material composition data can be provided so that it can be accessed when providing materials for the production of a product. The material composition data can be accessed when recycling a battery or at least one component of a battery that includes the material. The material composition data can be accessed via a digital representation, such as a pointer, link, link pointing, etc. to the material composition data. The material composition data can be accessed when recycling, for example, by reading the battery identifier, by determining an identifier associated with the material via the battery identifier, for example, through a relational representation, and by collecting at least a digital representation associated with the identifier associated with the material. The material composition data can be accessed via a digital representation linked to an identifier associated with a material used to produce the battery or a component of a product. The material composition data associated with the material used to produce the battery or a component of a battery can be accessed or requested from a distributed computing node associated with the recycling system. The material composition data associated with the material used to produce the battery or a component of a battery can be provided or obtained from a distributed computing node associated with a producer that produces or uses the material, such as a material producer, a battery producer, and / or a component producer. Access to the material composition data can be based on a distributed identifier of the material used to produce the battery or a component of a product. The material composition data may be provided or transferred by at least one distributed computing node associated with a producer that produces or uses the material, such as a material producer, a battery producer, and / or a component producer. The material composition data may be provided to or received by a distributed computing node associated with the recycling system.

[0033] In one embodiment, the material composition data relates to a chemical composition of the electrode active material. The material composition data can identify at least one component of the chemical composition of the electrode active material, such as a transition metal-containing component or a precious metal-containing component. The at least one battery identifier can be associated with a component of the battery for which the material composition data identifies a material composition. The at least one battery identifier can be associated with a first component of the battery including a second component for which the material composition data identifies a material composition. The at least one battery identifier can be associated with an electrode active material having a material composition that the material composition data identifies. The at least one battery identifier can be associated with a battery, cell, cell pack, or electrode element including an electrode active material having a material composition that the material composition data identifies. The at least one battery identifier can be associated with the battery or at least one component of the battery, and an identifier associated with a material used to produce the battery or at least one component of the battery can be associated with the at least one battery identifier.

[0034] In one embodiment, the material composition data or recycled material data is provided by computer executable instructions executed at least partially in a distributed or decentralized computing environment, which access the material composition data based on a battery identifier or access the recycled material data based on a package battery identifier or package identifier. The material composition data may be provided at the end of life of the battery or at least one component of the battery. The recycled material data may be provided at any stage of the recycling process of the battery or at least one component of the battery. By ID-based access, the distributed data service can be used for flexible and secure access to recycled material data, such as recycled material data or material composition data, managed by the data owner. In such an embodiment, the material composition data may be provided by a storage environment under the control of a material data provider, such as a material producer, a recycler, or a recycling system. Such a storage environment may be accessible by the computer executable instructions based on an authentication and / or approval process or protocol. The computer executable instructions accessing the material composition data based on the battery identifier may initiate a data transfer or may initiate data processing followed by a transfer of the processing results. The processing may include, for example, a material identifier package determination. The computer executable instructions for accessing recycled material data based on the package product identifier and / or the package identifier can initiate the data transfer. The material data provider may be a provider of physical materials or an owner of material data. In the case of material composition data, the material data provider may be a material producer. The material composition data may be provided by a computing node of the distributed computing environment, which may be associated with a material producer. In the case of recycled material data, the material data provider may be one or more recycling systems.The recycled material data may be provided by computing nodes of a distributed computing environment, which may be associated with one or more recycling systems. The material data provider may be a physical material provider or a third party that controls the material data on behalf of the material data owner provider. This allows the material data owner to control the use of the material composition data. Furthermore, it allows secure data sharing or exchange between participants in the recycling or production chain.

[0035] In one embodiment, at least one material identifier package includes one or more battery identifiers and corresponding material composition data associated with a battery or at least one component of a battery to be recycled. In one embodiment, at least one material identifier package includes material composition data associated with a recycled battery material produced from a battery or at least one recycled component of a battery, the material composition data being determined from the battery identifier and the corresponding material composition data. For example, the material identifier package can include at least one package identifier and corresponding material composition data associated with a battery or at least one recycled component of a battery. The material composition data can be determined from a packaged battery identifier and the corresponding material composition data. Further, for example, the material identifier package can include one or more battery identifiers and material composition data determined from their corresponding material composition data. The recycled material data can include at least one package identifier and corresponding material composition data associated with a recycled material produced from a product or at least one recycled component of a product. In one embodiment, at least one material identifier package includes material quantity data associated with a product or at least one recycled component of a product, the material quantity data being determined from a product identifier and their corresponding material composition data. Material quantity data may include the number, mass, weight or volume of products, components or materials being recycled.

[0036] At least one material identifier package may be associated with at least one material configuration that can be processed or is processed by at least one plant, such as a recycling plant or a production plant. In the context of at least one material configuration that can be processed or is processed by at least one plant, the plant may perform at least one process, such as a recycling or production process, on one or more material configurations. The at least one process may be predefined, such as a predefined recycling process or production process. At least one material configuration that can be processed or is processed by at least one plant may refer to at least one material configuration that can be processed or is processed by at least one plant in one or the same process run. At least one material configuration that can be processed or is processed by at least one plant may refer to a material configuration that can be processed or is processed by the same plant or the same plant type. At least one material configuration that can be processed by at least one plant may include material configurations that can be processed together. At least one material configuration that can be processed by at least one plant may include material configurations that can be processed together in one plant. The at least one material configuration processable by the at least one plant may include material configurations processable together in one or the same process run. The at least one material configuration processable by the at least one plant may include material configurations assignable to one plant or process.

[0037] In one embodiment, determining the package of at least one material identifier includes providing classification instructions executed at least in part in the distributed computing environment, the classification instructions collecting the battery identifiers according to material compositions processable or to be processed by the at least one plant.

[0038] In one embodiment, determining the at least one material identifier package includes sorting according to sorting instructions that provide material configurations that can be or will be processed by the at least one plant. The sorting may be performed according to sorting instructions that associate the material configurations that can be or will be processed by the at least one plant with the at least one battery identifier.

[0039] In one embodiment, determining the at least one material identifier package includes providing classification instructions executed at least partially in a distributed or decentralized computing environment, the classification instructions collecting battery identifiers according to material compositions that can be processed or are processed by at least one plant, such as at least one recycling plant. The classification instructions can include collecting battery identifiers based on material composition data and material compositions that can be processed or are processed by at least one plant, such as at least one recycling plant. The classification instructions can include classes of material compositions that can be processed or are processed by the at least one plant and collecting battery identifiers according to the classes of material compositions. The classification instructions can initiate matching of material compositions provided by the material composition data with material compositions that can be processed or are processed by the at least one plant. The classification instructions can associate the material composition data with plant identifiers and corresponding material compositions that can be processed or are processed by the plant. The classification instructions can be dynamically adjustable based on operation data, in particular process data indicative of a current operation of the at least one plant.

[0040] With identity-based classification, the classification service can be used for flexible and secure classification. In such an embodiment, the material composition data can be provided by a storage environment under the control of the material data provider. Such a storage environment can be accessed by the classification command based on an authentication and / or approval process or protocol. The classification command accessing the material composition data based on the battery identifier can initiate classification followed by transfer of the classification results. The classification command can be initiated by one or more recycling systems at the time of recycling of the product or at the end of life stage of the product. The classification command can access the material composition data via a product identifier provided by the material producer. The classification command can transfer the classification results to one or more recycling systems. The material composition data provider can be a physical material provider or an owner of the material composition data. The material composition data provider can be a third party that controls the material composition data on behalf of the physical material provider or the provider of the material composition data owner or producer. This allows the owner of the material composition data to control the use of the material composition data while not sharing such data with the recycling system. Furthermore, secure data sharing or exchange between participants of the recycling or production chain is possible.

[0041] In one embodiment, the at least one battery identifier is provided from a sensor that reads a battery identifier element, which is physically connected to at least one component of the battery being recycled. The identification element is physically connected to the battery, e.g., the battery housing, and can uniquely identify the battery. The identification element is physically connected to any component of the battery, e.g., a battery cell or module, and can uniquely identify the component of the battery.

[0042] Further included may be a step of operating the recycling process by providing a material identifier package to control and / or monitor the recycling system. The identifier package may include a package identifier, such as a distributed identifier. The identifier package may be provided to a distributed computing node associated with the one or more recycling systems. The identifier package may be generated by a distributed computing node associated with the one or more recycling systems. The distributed computing node associated with the one or more recycling systems may control and / or monitor the one or more recycling systems. The operations based on the at least one material identifier package may include operating a battery recycling process to recycle materials included in a product associated with the at least one battery identifier. The operations based on the at least one material identifier package may include operating the recycling process by providing collection, sorting, transport, storage, and / or recycling instructions configured to monitor and / or control the recycling system. The operations based on the at least one material identifier package may include operating the recycling process by providing instructions configured to collect, sort, transport, store, and / or recycle the respective systems. The operations based on the at least one material identifier package may include operating a recycling process by collecting, sorting, transporting, storing, and / or recycling materials contained in products associated with the at least one battery identifier. Further included may preferably include operating a recycling process by collecting the battery identifiers for providing the material identifier package to a recycling system to control and / or monitor such system. A battery recycling process for recycling materials contained in products associated with the at least one battery identifier may be operated based on the at least one material identifier package.The battery recycling process may be operated by providing a material identifier package to control and / or monitor the recycling system. The battery recycling process may be operated by providing collection, sorting, transport, storage and / or recycling instructions configured to monitor and / or control the collection, sorting, transport, storage and / or recycling. The battery recycling process may be operated by collecting, sorting, transporting, storing and / or recycling materials included in a product associated with at least one battery identifier. The recycling system may include a sorting system, a collector system, a transport system and / or a storage system. The system may be controlled and / or monitored based on the material identifier package. Further included may be a step of sorting, collecting, transporting and / or storing the recycled materials based on the material identifier package, preferably based on the sorting, collecting, transporting and / or storage instructions based on the material identifier package. The sorting system, collector system, transport and / or storage system may be monitored and / or controlled and / or operated based on the material identifier package, preferably based on respective instructions generated from the material identifier package. In the recycling process, a product or component may be packaged by providing a material identifier package according to the material composition of the product or component. The recycled materials may be provided by mechanical, thermal and / or chemical recycling plants.

[0043] In one embodiment, the method further includes providing sorting and / or collection instructions based on or generated from the provided material identifier package, the sorting and / or collection instructions including instructions to sort and / or collect at least one component of the battery to be recycled based on a material composition of the at least one component of the battery to be recycled.

[0044] Also disclosed are methods and corresponding apparatus for providing sorting and / or collection instructions based on a material identifier package. Any method steps disclosed with respect to such methods may be performed by a corresponding apparatus including one or more computing nodes; and one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions thereon that are configured when executed by the one or more computing nodes. To generate and / or provide such instructions, individual steps may be performed in combination with a method, system, apparatus, or computer element for providing a material identifier package or for operating a recycling process.

[0045] Included may be a step of providing a material identifier package including at least one battery identifier associated with at least one material identifier package, the at least one material identifier package being associated with at least one material configuration processable or processed by the at least one plant.

[0046] Further included may be the step of generating sorting instructions based on the material identifier package, the sorting instructions associating the battery identifier provided by the sensor reading the battery identifier element with a material configuration processable or to be processed by the at least one plant. Preferably, the sorting instructions associate the battery identifier provided by the sensor reading with the at least one material identifier package.

[0047] Further included may include generating collection instructions based on the material identifier package, the collection instructions associating a battery identifier provided by a sensor reading the battery identifier element with the at least one material identifier package.

[0048] Further included can be the step of providing collection point data indicative of a collection point for at least one component of the battery. The collection point data can be included in the material identifier package.

[0049] Further included may be the step of providing shipping and / or storage instructions based on or generated from the provided material identifier package. The shipping and / or storage instructions may include information regarding how at least one component of the battery is to be shipped and / or stored. The shipping and / or storage instructions may relate to the location and / or quantity of the product or components of the product.

[0050] Also disclosed are methods and corresponding apparatus for providing transport and / or storage instructions based on a material identifier package. Any method steps disclosed in connection with such methods may be performed by a corresponding apparatus including one or more computing nodes; and one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions thereon that are configured when executed by the one or more computing nodes. To generate and / or provide such instructions, the individual steps may be performed in combination with a method, system, apparatus, or computer element for providing a material identifier package or for operating a recycling process.

[0051] Further, there may be a step of providing operation data associated with at least one operation characteristic of the plant. The operation data may be related to at least one plant identifier. The operation data may include corresponding plant location data associated with a plant location of the plant, capacity data associated with a capacity of the plant, process data associated with one or more processes of the plant, and / or material processing data associated with at least one material configuration that can be processed or is processed by the plant. The operation data may relate to at least one static operation characteristic of the plant and / or at least one dynamic operation characteristic of the same plant or plant type. The latter allows for real-time visibility of capacity, process data and / or material processing data. Plants can be matched based on real-time information, allowing for more efficient and targeted use of plant resources.

[0052] Further included may be providing collection point data indicative of a collection point for at least one component of the battery. The collection point data may be included in the material identifier package.

[0053] Further included may be the step of generating transport instructions based on the collection point data and the operation data, particularly the plant location data. Based on such data, one or more transport routes may be determined. The collection point data may indicate a starting point for the transport, and the plant location data may indicate a destination point for the transport route.

[0054] Further included may be a step of determining storage instructions based on the operational data, in particular the capacity data, and a quantity related to the amount of material associated with the material configuration that can be or will be processed by the at least one plant, or a quantity related to the amount of material having the material configuration that can be or will be processed by the at least one plant. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0055] The present disclosure will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a battery with a battery identifier element. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a battery component with an identification element. [Diagram 3] 3a and 3b show example embodiments of centralized and distributed computing environments with computing nodes, FIG. 3c shows an example embodiment of a distributed computing environment, and FIG. 3d shows an example environment for making data accessible for processing. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of an example method for recycling batteries, and in particular for providing a material identifier package usable for operating a recycling process. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 illustrates an example embodiment of a flow chart for recycling batteries, and in particular for providing a material identifier package that can be used in operating a recycling process. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a data structure based on a distributed identifier of a battery. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 illustrates another example of a data structure based on a distributed identifier of a battery package. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 illustrates an example embodiment of a flow chart for providing plant allocation data that can be used in the processing of recycled battery materials, and in particular, in the operation of a recycling process. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a flow chart for providing plant allocation data that can be used in the processing of recycled battery materials, and in particular, in the operation of a recycling process. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 illustrates an example embodiment of a flow chart for allocating plants to operate a recycling process. [Figure 11]FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a data structure based on a distribution identifier of a battery package or recycled material package associated with a plant identifier. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a data structure based on a distribution identifier of a battery package or recycled material package associated with a plant identifier. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a data structure based on a distribution identifier of a battery package or recycled material package associated with a plant identifier. [Figure 14] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system for operating a recycling process in a battery recycling chain. [Figure 15] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a battery recycling chain. [Figure 16] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a flowchart of a method for providing recyclate feed content for producing at least one component of a battery. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 illustrates another example of a method for providing recycle feed content for producing at least one component of a battery based on availability data, optionally including selection of a production plant. [Figure 18] FIG. 1 illustrates another example of a method for providing recycled feed contents for producing at least one component of a battery, including a chemical performance check. [Figure 19] FIG. 13 illustrates another example of a method for providing recycled feed content for producing at least one component of a battery, including an emission target check and optionally a plant selection. [Figure 20] 13A-13C illustrate an embodiment of a user interface for inputting recycling allocations, chemical performance parameters, or emission targets. [Figure 21]13A-13C illustrate an embodiment of a user interface for inputting recycling allocations, chemical performance parameters, or emission targets. [Figure 22] 13A-13C illustrate an embodiment of a user interface for inputting recycling allocations, chemical performance parameters, or emission targets. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0056] Detailed Description of the Embodiments The following embodiments are merely examples for implementing the methods, systems, or computer elements disclosed herein and are not to be considered limiting.

[0057] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a battery 10 having battery identifier elements 12,14.

[0058] The battery 10 may include a battery management system 16 and a number of battery cells 18 disposed within a battery housing 20. The battery cells 18 may be arranged in a battery pack or module that includes a number of the battery cells 18. The battery cells 10 may include an electrolyte 22, an anode element 24, a cathode element 26, and / or a separator 28.

[0059] Depending on the application, the battery includes different material compositions for different components. For example, the battery may be a lithium-ion battery. The cathode element 26 may include an active material coated on a current collector foil, such as an aluminum foil or a copper foil. It may further include a binder, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), and / or carbon as a conductive agent. The cathode active material may include layered oxides (LiMO2 with M=Co, Ni, Al, such as LCO(LiCoO2), NCM(LiNixMnyCozO2), NCA(LiNixCoyAlzO2)), spinels (LiMO2O4 with M=Mn, Ni, such as LMO(LiMnO4)), or phosphates (LiMPO4 with M=Fe, Mn, Co, Ni, such as LiFePO4).

[0060] The anode element 24 may include an anode active material coated on a current collector foil, such as an aluminum foil or a copper foil. The active material may include artificial graphite, natural graphite, or compositions thereof. The active material may include silicon, SiO2, lithium titanate (LTO), or combinations thereof. The active material may include a binder, such as styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), a polymeric thickener, such as carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), and a carbonate as a conductive agent.

[0061] The electrolyte may include salts, such as carbonates, esters, ethers, solvents, and additives to provide electrical conductivity. It may include a mixture of cyclic carbonates, such as ethylene carbonate (EC) or propylene carbonate (PC), and open-chain carbonates, such as dimethyl carbonate (DMC). As the conductive salt, lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6), lithium bis(trifluoromethyl)sulfonylimide (LiTFSI) and its derivatives (e.g., lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI)), or lithium [tris(pentafluoroethyl)-trifluorophosphate] (LiFAP), lithium 4,5-dicyano-2-trifluoromethyl-imidazolide (LiTDI), lithium bis(oxalyl)borate (LiBOB), ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC), and / or diethyl carbonate (DEC) may be used.

[0062] The separator divides the space between the electrodes and allows ions to pass through. Types of separators include microporous membranes, ceramic-coated separators, nonwoven mats, solid inorganic electrolytes, or polymer electrolytes. For example, polyolefin-based membranes coated with PVDF or ceramics may be used.

[0063] The battery identifier elements 12, 14 may be physically associated with the battery 10. The identification elements 12, 14 may be physically attached to the battery housing or may be part of the battery management system 16. The identification elements 12, 14 may be located inside or outside the battery housing 20. The identification elements 12, 14 may be passive identification elements 14. The passive elements 14 may be located on the exterior surface of the battery housing 20. The passive elements 14 may be based on markers embedded in a material. The passive elements 14 may include a printed code such as a barcode or a QR code. The identification elements 12, 14 may be active identification elements 14. The active elements 14 may be transmitter or transceiver tags such as, for example, RFID tags that enable communication via NFC, Bluetooth, Zigbee or other suitable near-medium range communication protocols. The identification element 14 may be part of the battery management system 16, for example a digital battery identifier may be stored in the battery management system 16 and can be obtained from the battery management system via a communication protocol such as NFC, Bluetooth, Zigbee, or other suitable near-to-medium range communication protocol.

[0064] The battery identifier elements 12, 14 can be associated with a digital battery identifier. The digital battery identifier can be unique to the battery. The digital battery identifier can be further associated with data related to the identified battery. Such data includes any data collected during production or life of the battery 10. For example, such data can include material data, such as material composition data collected during production of the battery, or monitoring data collected during use of the battery can be included by being associated with the digital battery identifier. Data related to the identified battery or a portion thereof can be related to or include material composition data. The material composition data can be controlled by one or more material producers, for example, via authentication and / or authorization mechanisms. The material composition data can be controlled by one or more material producers. One or more material producers can provide their respective material composition data for access by participating nodes of the distributed computing environment. Data related to the battery or a portion thereof can be stored in a database associated with a participant node of the distributed computing environment, particularly associated with a producer of the battery, component, or material, or a user of the battery. A participant node that stores data regarding an identified battery or portion thereof can provide access to other participant nodes, e.g., via peer-to-peer communications including authentication and / or authorization mechanisms. The data regarding an identified battery or portion thereof can relate to or include material composition data associated with a cathode element, an anode element, a separator, and / or an electrolyte, such as a cathode active material. For example, material composition data can be associated with an electrode active material. Such data can be provided by a material producer for access by participant nodes of the distributed computing environment, e.g., via peer-to-peer communications including authentication and / or authorization mechanisms.

[0065] The digital battery identifier may include or be associated with at least one decentralized identifier. The decentralized identifier may include any unique identifier uniquely associated with a data owner and the identified battery 10. Including a data point may relate to a data package including such data point and / or data digitally linked to or associated with the data point to virtually or digitally form a data package. The decentralized identifier may include any unique identifier uniquely associated with the identified battery, such as material composition data, and the identified battery 10. The decentralized identifier may include or be associated with one or more universally unique identifiers (UUIDs) or one or more digital identifiers (DIDs). The decentralized identifier may be issued by a central or decentralized ID issuer. The decentralized identifier may include authentication information for authentication of data associated with the identified battery 10. Through the decentralized identifier and its unique association with the identified battery 10, access to data associated with the identified battery may be controlled by at least one data owner. This is in contrast to a central authority scheme where identifiers are provided by a central authority and access to data is controlled by such central authority. Distributed in this context refers to the use of identifiers controlled by any data owner. The data may be hosted in a database associated with or under the control of the data owner. The identification elements 12, 14 can be configured to provide a digital battery identifier to access data related to an identified battery.

[0066] The distributed identifier may include one or more identifiers used in a distributed computing environment to enable data exchange over the distributed computing environment, such as a peer-to-peer communication channel. The data exchange may include discovery of the distributed identifiers of participant nodes of the distributed computing environment, authentication of participant nodes of the distributed computing environment, and / or authorization of data transfer over peer-to-peer communication between participant nodes of the distributed computing environment.

[0067] The data owner may include any entity that generates data, particularly data related to the identified battery. The generating node may be coupled to an entity that owns a physical product from which or for which the data, particularly data related to the identified battery, is generated. The data, particularly data related to the identified battery, may be generated by a third party entity on behalf of the entity that owns the physical product from which or for which the data is generated. The data owner may be a producer of the material, the components included in the battery, or the battery, such as a material producer, a component producer, a product producer, etc. Through the unique association of the distributed identifier with the data owner and the data related to the identified battery, access to the respective data may be controlled by the data owner. The data related to the identified battery may be accessible to the data owner. Thus, the data owner may directly or indirectly own or control the data related to the identified battery. The data related to the identified battery may be stored in a database of the data owner or associated with the data owner. The data related to the identified battery may be stored in a database accessible by the data owner. The data owner may control access to the data related to the identified battery through the data provisioning service of the data owner. The data owner may control access to the data related to the identified battery. The data related to the identified battery can be associated with a data owner. The data owner may be the owner or manager of the data related to the identified battery or the owner of the identified battery. The data related to the identified battery can be stored in a database of the data owner or under the control of the data owner. In this sense, a data owner can refer to an entity that has access to the data related to the identified battery or a portion thereof and that controls access to the data related to the identified battery or a portion thereof by a data consumption service of the distributed computing environment.

[0068] In particular, the digital battery identifier may be associated with material composition data that identifies the material composition of one or more components of the battery. The digital battery identifier may be associated with the battery 10, and the material composition data may identify the material composition of one or more components of the battery 10.

[0069] FIG. 2 shows diagrammatically a battery component 30 with identification elements 32, 34.

[0070] The battery component 30 may include one or more subcomponents of the battery 10. The subcomponents may include the battery management system 16, the battery housing 20, a battery module or pack having a plurality of battery cells 22, the battery cells 22, or a combination of such subcomponents. A battery component identification element 32, 34 may be associated with the battery component 30. The identification element 32, 34 may be physically attached to the battery component 30. The identification element 32, 34 may be located inside or outside the battery component 30. The identification element 32, 34 may be a passive or active identification element 32, 34 as described in the context of FIG. 1. The battery identifier element 32, 34 may be associated with a digital battery component identifier. The digital battery identifier may include at least one distributed identifier associated with the identified battery component 30 as described in the context of FIG. 1. In particular, the identification element 32, 34 may be configured to provide the digital battery component identifier to access data related to the identified battery component, such as material composition data as described in the context of FIG. 1. The battery identifier may be associated with a component 30 whose material composition data identifies the material composition.

[0071] 3a to 3c show different computing environments: central, decentralized and distributed. The disclosed method, apparatus, system, use and computer elements may be implemented in a distributed or at least partially distributed computing environment. Providing, determining or processing data may be realized by different computing nodes, which may be implemented in central, decentralized and distributed computing environments.

[0072] Figures 3a, 3b show examples of embodiments of central and distributed computing environments with computing nodes. Figure 3c shows an example of an embodiment of a distributed computing environment. Figure 3d shows an example of an environment for making data accessible. Such an environment can be implemented according to digital identifier-based standards from the International Data Space (IDS) or W3C. Such an implementation helps to make data associated with distributed identifiers from material providers accessible to data consumers.

[0073] FIG. 3a illustrates an example embodiment of a central computing system 100 including a central computing node 101 (solid circle in the center) and multiple peripheral computing nodes 101.1-101.n (shown as solid circles on the periphery). The term "computing system" is broadly defined herein to include one or more computing nodes, a system of nodes, a network node, or a combination thereof. The term "computing node" is broadly defined herein to refer to any device or system that includes at least one physical and tangible processor, and / or a physical and tangible memory that may have computer executable instructions thereon that are executed by the processor. Computing nodes now take on an increasingly diverse range of forms. Computing nodes may be, for example, handheld devices, manufacturing equipment, sensors, monitoring systems, control systems, appliances, laptop computers, desktop computers, mainframes, data centers, or even devices that are not traditionally considered computing nodes, such as wearables (e.g., glasses, watches, etc.). Memory may be in any form, depending on the nature and form of the computing node.

[0074] In this example, the peripheral computing nodes 101.1-101.n may be connected to one central computing system (or server). In another example, the peripheral computing nodes 101.1-101.n may be connected to the central computing node, for example, via a terminal server (not shown). Most of the functions are performed by or obtained from the central computing node (also called a remote central location). One peripheral computing node 101.n is expanded to provide an overview of the components present in the peripheral computing nodes. The central computing node 101 may include the same components as described in relation to the peripheral computing node 101.n.

[0075] Each computing node 101, 101.1-101.n may include at least one hardware processor 102 and memory 104. The term "processor" may refer to any logic circuitry configured to perform basic operations of a computer or system, and / or generally to a device configured to perform computational or logical operations. In particular, a processor, or computer processor, may be configured to process basic instructions that run a computer or system. It may be a semiconductor-based processor, a quantum processor, or other type of processor configured to process instructions. As an example, a processor may be or may comprise a central processing unit ("CPU"). A processor may be a graphics processing unit ("GPU"), a tensor processing unit ("TPU"), a complex instruction set computer microprocessor ("CISC"), a reduced instruction set computing ("RISC") microprocessor, a very long instruction word ("VLIW") microprocessor, or a processor implementing other instruction sets, or a combination of instruction sets. The processing means may also be one or more special purpose processing devices, such as an application specific integrated circuit ("ASIC"), a field programmable gate array ("FPGA"), a complex programmable logic device ("CPLD"), a digital signal processor ("DSP"), a network processor, etc. The methods, systems, and devices described herein may be implemented as software in a DSP, microcontroller, or other side processor, or as hardware circuitry in an ASIC, CPLD, or FPGA. It should be understood that the term processor may also refer to one or more processing devices, such as a distributed system of processing devices located across multiple computer systems (e.g., cloud computing), and is not limited to a single device unless otherwise specified.

[0076] Memory 104 may refer to physical system memory, which may be volatile, non-volatile, or a combination thereof. Memory may include non-volatile mass storage, such as physical storage media. Memory may be a computer-readable storage medium, such as RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM, or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices, non-magnetic disk storage, such as solid-state disks, or any other physical and tangible storage medium that may be used to store desired program code means in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a computing system. Furthermore, memory may be a computer-readable medium (also called a transmission medium) that carries computer-executable instructions. Furthermore, upon reaching various computing system components, program code means in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures may be automatically transferred from a transmission medium to a storage medium (or vice versa). For example, computer-executable instructions or data structures received over a network or data link may be buffered in a RAM in a network interface module (e.g., a "NIC") and then eventually transferred to the RAM of the computing system and / or to a less volatile storage medium in the computing system. Thus, it should be understood that storage media may be included in computing components that also (or primarily) utilize transmission media.

[0077] Computing nodes 101, 101.1...101.n may include a number of structures 106, often referred to as "executable components, executable instructions, computer executable instructions or instructions." For example, memory 104 of computing nodes 101, 101.1...101.n may be described as including executable components 106. An "executable component" or equivalent term may be a name for a structure that is well understood by those skilled in the computing arts as a structure that may be or may be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination thereof. For example, if implemented in software, those skilled in the art will understand that the executable component structure includes software objects, routines, methods, etc., executed on computing nodes 101, 101.1...101.n, whether such executable components reside in the heap of computing nodes 101, 101.1...101.n, or whether the executable components reside on a computer readable storage medium. In such cases, those skilled in the art will understand that the structure of the executable component resides on a computer-readable medium such that, when interpreted by one or more processors (e.g., by processor threads) of the computing nodes 101, 101.1...101.n, it causes the computing nodes 101, 101.1...101.n to execute the function. Such structure may be directly computer readable by a processor (as would be the case if the executable component is binary). Alternatively, the structure may be interpretable and / or compilable (in a single step or multiple steps) to generate a binary directly interpretable by a processor. Such an understanding of example structures of executable components is well within the understanding of those skilled in the art of computing when using the term "executable component."Examples of executable components implemented in hardware include hard-coded or hard-wired logic gates that are implemented exclusively or nearly exclusively in hardware, such as in a field programmable gate array (FPGA), application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other specialized circuitry. As used herein, the terms "component," "agent," "manager," "service," "engine," "module," "virtual machine," and the like are used synonymously with the term "executable component."

[0078] The processor 102 of each computing node 101, 101.1...101.n may instruct the operation of each computing node 101, 101.1...101.n in response to executing computer-executable instructions that constitute executable components. For example, such computer-executable instructions may be embodied on one or more computer-readable media forming a computer program product. The computer-executable instructions may be stored in the memory 104 of each computing node 101, 101.1...101.n. The computer-executable instructions include, for example, instructions and data that, when executed by the processor 101, cause a general-purpose computing node 101, 101.1...101.n, a special-purpose computing node 101, 101.1...101.n, or a special-purpose processing device to perform a particular function or group of functions. Alternatively or additionally, the computer-executable instructions may configure the computing node 101, 101.1...101.n to perform a particular function or group of functions. The computer-executable instructions may be, for example, binary, or intermediate format instructions such as assembly language, or instructions that undergo some translation (such as compilation) before direct execution by a processor, such as source code.

[0079] Each computing node 101, 101.1...101.n may include a communication channel 108 that enables each computing node 101.1...101.n to communicate with a central computing node 101, e.g., a network (shown in FIG. 25a as solid lines between the peripheral computing nodes and the central computing node). A "network" may be defined as one or more data links that enable the transfer of electronic data between computing nodes 101, 101.1...101.n, and / or between modules and / or other electronic devices. When information is transferred or provided to computing nodes 101, 101.1...101.n via a network or other communication connection (either hardwired, wireless, or a combination of hardwired or wireless), computing nodes 101, 101.1...101.n properly regard the connection as a transmission medium. Transmission media may be used to carry desired program code means in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures and may include networks and / or data links that may be accessed by general-purpose or special-purpose computing nodes 101, 101.1...101.n. Combinations of the above may also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0080] Computing nodes 101, 101.1-101.n may further comprise a user interface system 110 for use in interfacing with a user. User interface system 110 may comprise output mechanism 110A as well as input mechanism 110B. The principles described herein are not limited to exactly output mechanism 110A or input mechanism 110B as this will depend on the nature of the device. However, output mechanism 110A may comprise, for example, a display, a speaker, a display, a haptic output, a hologram, etc. By way of example, input mechanism 110B may include, for example, a microphone, a touch screen, a hologram, a camera, a keyboard, a mouse or other pointer input, any type of sensor, etc.

[0081] FIG. 3b illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a distributed computing environment 100′ or distributed network with multiple computing nodes 101.1′-101.n′, depicted by filled circles. The distributed network may include a set protocol for authentication and / or authorization. In contrast to the centralized computing environment 100 illustrated in FIG. 3a, the computing nodes 101.1′-101.n′ of the distributed computing environment are not connected to, and therefore are not under the control of, the central computing node 101. Instead, both hardware and software resources may be assigned to each individual computing node 101.1′...101.n′ (local or remote computing system), and data may be distributed among the various computing nodes 101.1′...101.n′ to perform tasks. Thus, in a distributed system environment or distributed network, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices. One computing node 101′ is expanded to provide an overview of the components present in the computing node 101′. In this example, computing node 101' includes the same components as described in relation to FIG. 3a.

[0082] FIG. 3c illustrates an example of an embodiment of a distributed computing environment 103. In this description, "distributed computing" may refer to any computing that utilizes multiple computing resources. Such use may be realized by virtualization of physical computing resources. One example of distributed computing is cloud computing. "Cloud computing" may refer to a model that enables on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, services). When distributed, a cloud computing environment may be distributed within an organization and / or across multiple organizations, internationally. In this example, the distributed cloud computing environment 103 may include the following computing resources: mobile devices 114, applications 116, databases 118, data storage 120, and servers 122. The cloud computing environment 103 may be deployed as a public cloud 124, a private cloud 126, or a hybrid cloud 128. The private cloud 124 may be owned by an organization, and only members of the organization with appropriate access rights may use the private cloud 126 and render data in the private cloud at least confidentially. In contrast, data stored in a public cloud 126 may be open to anyone via the Internet. A hybrid cloud 128 may be a combination of both a private cloud 124 and a public cloud 126, allowing some data to remain confidential and other data public.

[0083] Referring back to Figures 1 and 2, the battery identifiers or battery component identifiers provided by the identification elements 12, 14, 32, 34 can be at least partially processed in a distributed computing environment or distributed network. The battery identifiers or battery component identifiers can be configured to access battery or battery component data, such as material data or material composition data. Further distributed identifiers can be associated with recycling or production plants participating in the recycling or production of batteries. The recycling or production plant identifiers can be configured to access operation data, such as recycling or production plant data. Examples of operation data can be capacity data, process identification data, or location data. By associating such distributed identifiers with authentication information and optional authorization rules, data can be safely and securely shared between players or systems of the production and / or recycling chain via distributed network nodes associated with such players, such as in peer-to-peer communication.

[0084] Figure 3d shows an example of an environment or distributed network for making data accessible according to standards set by the International Data Spaces Association (IDSA; e.g., IDS Reference Architecture version 3.0 April 2019) or W3C (Decentralized Identifiers (DID) v1.0, Core Architecture, Data Model, and Representation in Accordance with W3C Proposed Recommendation August 3, 2021). Such an implementation helps make data associated with decentralized identifiers from material providers accessible to data consumers.

[0085] In this example, a data providing service 304 including a data retrieval system 308 and a connector 310 shares material data 316 with a data consuming service 306 including a data retrieval system 312 and a connector 314 via a distributed network protocol. The data providing service 304 and the data consuming service 306 are associated with network nodes or computing nodes of the network. The data providing service 304 and the data consuming service 306 are associated with local databases 320a, 320b controlled by the respective participant nodes.

[0086] Data relating to the identified battery or portion thereof may be provided or made accessible in association with the material, component, and / or battery 302 depending on an identifier of such data. The material, component, and / or battery 302 may be associated with a digital identifier. The digital identifier may include one or more decentralized identifiers, for example as described in the context of Figs. 1-3. The decentralized identifier may be an identifier within the distributed network 300 that enables data exchange over the distributed network 300 between participant nodes via the data providing / consuming services 304, 306. One participant node of Fig. 3d may be associated with the data providing service 304. Another participant node of Fig. 3d may be associated with the data consuming service 306. The data exchange may include discovery of decentralized identifiers of participant nodes of the distributed network 300, authentication of participant nodes of the distributed network 300, and / or authorization of data transfer via peer-to-peer communication between participant nodes of the distributed network 300.

[0087] Upon reading the identifier elements via a reader element 308, for example as described in Figure 1 or 2, a digital identifier for each battery, component or material may be provided, for example via a distributed network database (not shown). Digital relationships between the identifiers may be provided, which may reflect the physical relationships of the battery, its components and its materials. The identifiers may be associated with digital representations of battery data or portions thereof relating to the battery, its components or materials.

[0088] The battery identifier may include or be associated with a distributed identifier uniquely associated with the identified battery. Similarly, the identifier may be associated with a component or material of the battery. The distributed identifier may include one or more universally unique identifiers (UUIDs) or digital identifiers (DIDs). The distributed identifier may include any unique identifier uniquely associated with the data owner, the battery, the component, and / or the material. The data owner may be a producer of the battery, the component, or the material. Through the unique association of the distributed identifier with the data owner, the battery, the component, and / or the material, access to the battery data or portions thereof may be controlled by the data owner.

[0089] The distributed identifier can be connected to a digital representation of battery data associated with the battery, a component contained in the battery, or a material contained in the battery. The digital representation can include a representation for accessing the battery data or a portion thereof, such as material data or material composition data, which may be provided by a material producer. The digital representation of the battery data or a portion thereof can be stored in a distributed database (not shown). The battery data or a portion thereof, such as material data or material composition data, can be stored in a local database associated with a data owner, such as a material, component, or battery producer.

[0090] The battery 10 can be associated or related to digital representations of battery data or portions thereof associated with the battery, components of the battery, and / or materials contained in the battery or its components. The digital representations can be associated with respective digital identifiers of the battery 10, components of the battery 10, and / or materials contained in the battery or its components. The digital representations can point to, be linked to, or provide links to the battery data or portions thereof, such as components of the battery and / or materials contained in the battery or its components. The digital representations can include at least one interface to a data providing service 304 configured to make the respective battery data or portions thereof accessible or to transfer the respective battery data or portions thereof. The digital representations can include at least one interface to a data consuming service configured to access or receive the respective battery data or portions thereof. The digital representations can include endpoints for data exchange or sharing (resource endpoints) or endpoints for service interaction (service endpoints) that are uniquely identified via a communication protocol. A digital representation that points to data relating to a battery or a portion thereof can thus be uniquely associated with the distributed identifier.

[0091] Upon providing the identifier, a representation pointing to the respective data, e.g., material data or material composition data, may be provided to the data consuming service 306, e.g., via a distributed registry. In the example of material composition data, but not limiting, the material composition data may be stored in a database 310 associated with the material producer or provider. The data consuming service 306 associated with the reader 308 may request access to such data from the data providing service 304 of the material producer or provider. Authentication and / or authorization information linked to the identifier may be shared to authenticate and / or authorize access from the data consuming service 306 to the data provided by the data providing service 304. The authentication and / or authorization information may be provided for authentication and / or authorization of the data providing service 304 and / or the data consuming service 306.

[0092] In one embodiment, the data related to the battery or a portion thereof includes one or more digital representations that point to, link to, or provide a link to the material composition data or a portion thereof. In one embodiment, the data related to the battery or a portion thereof includes one or more digital representations that point to, link to, or provide a link to the battery data or material data or a portion thereof stored, for example, in a local database of a material provider. In this context, pointing, linking, or linking means any network representation or address suitable for accessing data related to the battery or a portion thereof stored in a local database. The data related to the battery or a portion thereof can include multiple digital representations that point to, link to, or provide a link to separate portions of the battery data. The data related to the battery can include multiple digital representations that point to, link to, or provide a link to different portions of the battery data. Such different portions may overlap at some data points. The representations can include access points to the battery data, links for accessing the battery data, endpoints for accessing the battery data, and / or service endpoints for accessing the battery data. In this manner, the battery data can be maintained and controlled by the data owner. Access may be provided via a representation of an access point, simplifying data validation, integrity or quality checks, and access control since multiple distribution data points do not need to be checked and access controlled. The battery data may be stored in a database 320 of or associated with the data owner. The battery data may be stored in a database 320 accessible by the data owner. A digital representation pointing to, linking to, or providing a link to the battery data or a portion thereof may be associated or related to any such database associated with or accessible by the data owner.For added security, the digital representation indicative of the battery data or portions thereof may be indirectly related to any such database associated with or accessible by the data owner.

[0093] Similar to the access and transfer of data as described above for the example material composition data, other data can be securely shared in a distributed network between different nodes associated with different players in the network. Any of the data provided in the different methods, embodiments, and systems described can be provided by any node in the distributed network.

[0094] The at least partially distributed structure based on distributed identifiers enables the novel methods, apparatus, systems, computer elements, computer executable instructions, and their use in battery recycling processes described below.

[0095] FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method for providing a material identifier package that can be used for recycling batteries, and in particular, a method for operating a recycling process based on the material identifier package or a method for sorting products to be recycled, such as batteries, based on material composition data associated with a product identifier.

[0096] The material identifier package may include a digital identifier associated with the product to be recycled, such as a battery. By bundling the digital identifiers according to the associated material composition, the products to be recycled, particularly batteries, may be physically bundled by material composition that is not otherwise easily accessible from the physical products, particularly batteries. In this way, physical products such as batteries may be virtually or digitally bundled, so that the recycling process may be performed more efficiently. To do so, collection, sorting, and / or transportation instructions may be derived based on the material identifier package in order to also physically bundle the respective products, particularly batteries, according to their material composition, simplifying the recycling process.

[0097] A battery identifier associated with the battery to be recycled can be provided. Such data can be provided via an identifier element physically connected to the battery or a component of the battery to be recycled, as described in the context of Figs. 1-3. The battery identifier can thus be associated with the battery and / or the component of the battery to be recycled. The battery identifier element can be read as described in the context of Figs. 1 and 2. The material data can be obtained by a node of the distributed network associated with reading the identifier element. The distributed identifier can be obtained. Based on the distributed identifier, a digital representation of the battery data or a portion thereof can be obtained. The representation can include a link or pointer to the data. The battery data can include material composition data. The material composition data can be provided by a node of the distributed network associated with a producer of the product, a component of the product, or a material used to produce the product (such as a cathode active material used to produce the cathode element of the battery 10). The node of the distributed network associated with reading the identifier element can request access to the material composition data, for example, as described in the context of Figs. 1-3.

[0098] Based on the battery identifier, material data such as material composition data can be accessed, for example, as described in the context of Figs. 1-3. For example, the cathode active material is valuable for a recycling process due to the precious metals contained in the cathode active material. To recover and recycle such materials for the production of new batteries, the material composition data of the battery related to the material composition of the cathode active material can be accessed. For example, the material data can be accessed through a data service associated with each battery identifier and requesting access to the material data controlled by a material data owner. The data service can include computer executable instructions that at least partially operate in a distributed computing environment. Such computer executable instructions can be based on a Json Web Token (JWT) that includes authentication information, authorization information, and / or a digital representation pointing to the material composition data or a portion thereof. The digital representation can include an endpoint for data exchange or sharing (resource endpoint) or an endpoint for service interaction (service endpoint) that can be uniquely identified via a communication protocol. The digital representation pointing to the material composition data or a portion thereof can be uniquely associated with the battery identifier.

[0099] The material data may include material composition data associated with at least one component of the battery 10. The material composition data may indicate the material composition of one or more components of the battery 10. The material composition may include a material type, material properties, and / or a chemical composition of at least one component of the battery 10. The material type may include, but is not limited to, plastics, metal-containing materials, polymer-containing materials, composite materials, such as those used in the battery 10 or used as intermediate products, raw materials, or by-products in producing the battery 10. The material properties may include, but are not limited to, physical material properties, such as thermodynamic, mechanical, electrodynamic, optical, and acoustic material properties, and / or chemical material properties, such as standard electrode potential and electronegativity. The chemical composition may relate to one or more ingredients and their amounts. The term components of the battery 10 may include all components included in the battery 10, such as the cathode element 26 or the anode element 24. For example, material composition data can provide the cell chemistry, such as the percentage of cathode active materials Al, Li, Co, Ni, anode active materials such as graphite, composition electrolytes such as conductive salts or solvents, separators, or other materials included in the battery cell.

[0100] The material construction data can be associated with the cathode element 26 or the cathode active material. In such an embodiment, the material construction can specify a chemical composition of the cathode active material. Examples include material constructions based on lithium nickel manganese (NCM type) (such as lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide (LiNiCoMnO2)), lithium iron phosphate (LPF type) (such as lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4 / C)), lithium nickel manganese (LMNO type) (such as lithium nickel manganese spinel (LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4)), lithium nickel cobalt aluminum (NCA type) (such as lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (LiNiCoAlO2)), lithium cobalt (LCO type) lithium manganese (LMO type) (such as lithium manganese oxide (LiMn2O4)), lithium cobalt (LCO type) (such as lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2)), or combinations thereof. The material construction data can be associated with the anode element 24 or the anode active material. In such an embodiment, the material composition may indicate the chemical composition of the anode active material. Examples include natural graphite, artificial graphite, other graphite types, or combinations thereof. The material composition data may be associated with the electrolyte 22, separator 28, cell 18 or module packaging, housing 20, etc. For example, the material composition data may provide the cell chemistry, such as the percentage of the cathode active materials Al, Li, Co, Ni, the anode active material, such as graphite, the composition electrolyte, such as conductive salts or solvents, the separator, or other materials included in the battery cell.

[0101] As shown in FIG. 6, the battery identifiers can be associated with different battery components and corresponding material configurations. In the example of FIG. 6, the cathode element, the anode element, the separator element, and the housing are exemplary components. The cathode element can be associated with the material configuration of the electrode active material, ID1 for LMO and ID2 for NCM. The anode element can be associated with the material configuration of the anode active material, ID1 for natural graphite and ID2 for artificial graphite and silicon. Similarly, the material configuration of the separator is specified by the type of membrane and the material configuration of the housing is specified by the type of plastic. In other embodiments, components such as the cathode element, the anode element, the separator element, and / or the housing may each be associated with a component identifier. Through the product identifier and / or the component identifier, the respective material configuration data can be obtained. The identifiers can include a distributed identifier.

[0102] Based on the material composition data associated with the battery identifier, at least one material composition that can be or will be processed by at least one recycling plant can be determined to provide a material identifier package. For example, for the example shown in FIG. 7 for the battery ID of FIG. 6, two packages can be collected: package ID1 for the cathode element of the battery with ID1 having LCO as the cathode active material, and package ID2 for the cathode element of the battery with ID2 and IDn having NCM as the cathode active material. Based on the material composition data, the battery 10 or battery component 30 can be identified with material compositions that can be recycled by the same recycling plant or can be recycled together. In this way, the batteries or battery components to be recycled can be virtually sorted or collected by the battery identifier associated with such material composition. Various embodiments are possible for such determination. Here, only some examples are described as exemplary embodiments, which are not considered to be limiting.

[0103] In one example, matching logic may be used to determine material identifier packages associated with material compositions that can be or will be processed by at least one recycling plant. Such matching may be based on the material composition of one or more components. Multiple algorithms may be employed for matching, ranging from search algorithms to data-driven classification models.

[0104] For example, matching can be performed on the chemical composition of the components. For matching, a classification instruction can be provided. Such a classification instruction can be predefined or dynamically adjustable. For example, material configurations A, B, C can be predefined by at least a part of the chemical composition of one component, such as a specific electrolyte composition, a specific anode active material composition, a specific cathode active material composition, etc. The matching scheme is in principle as follows: Matching based on one component

[0105] Classification by component composition A: cathode active materials x, y, z; B: cathode active materials a, b, c; C: cathode active materials d, e, f; Component Material Composition Battery ID1, Cathode active material x Battery ID2, cathode active material y Material composition matching of battery components Battery ID1, Cathode active material x Class A Battery ID2, cathode active material y Class A

[0106] For multiple components, the material configurations A, B, C can be predefined by specifying at least part of the composition of the multiple components. For example, the composition of the housing, the composition of the electrolyte, the composition of the anode, the composition of the cathode, or any other component can be predefined. The matching scheme is essentially as follows:

[0107] Matching based on more components Classification by component composition A: electrolyte x, y, z; anode l, m, k; cathode e, d, f B: electrolyte g, h, i; anode j, n, o; cathode p, q, r Component Material Composition Battery ID1, electrolyte x, anode l, cathode f Battery ID2, electrolyte y, anode l, cathode e Battery material composition matching Battery ID1, electrolyte x, anode l, cathode f Class A Battery ID2, electrolyte y, anode l, cathode e Class A

[0108] In another example, matching can be done by chemical composition of the classes. Such matching can be based on the material composition of one or more components. For example, the search can be done by chemical composition. For the search, a classification instruction can be provided. Such a classification instruction can be predefined or dynamically adjustable. For example, material configurations A, B, C can be predefined by at least a part of the chemical composition of one component, such as specifying the electrolyte composition, the anode composition, the cathode composition. For example, material configurations A, B, C can be predefined by at least a partial component composition, specifying the composition of the housing, the composition of the electrolyte, the composition of the anode, the composition of the cathode, and the composition of any other components. The search scheme is in principle as follows:

[0109] Classification by component composition A: electrolyte x, y, z; anode l, m, k; cathode e, d, f B:... C:... Component Material Composition Battery ID1, electrolyte x, anode l, cathode f Battery ID2, electrolyte y, anode l, cathode e Battery Material Composition Search by Class Class A: Battery ID 1, electrolyte x, anode l, cathode f; Class B: Battery ID 2, electrolyte y, anode l, cathode e

[0110] Once the matching or search is complete, batteries or battery components that can or will be processed by the recycling plant can be identified through identifiers associated with their respective material configurations. Such packages of battery or battery component identifiers can be assigned to recycling plants by providing recycling plant data associated with recycling plants that can process such material packages.

[0111] In another example, advanced logic may be used. Such advanced logic may be based on material composition data of one or more components and on recycling plant data. For example, the recycling plant data may include a recycling plant identifier and a specification of one or more material compositions that can be or are processed by a recycling plant that performs at least one recycling process on the one or more material compositions. In this way, classification based on the material composition data may be directly related to a specific recycling plant. Classification instructions may be provided that are based on the material composition data of one or more components and on the recycling plant data, respectively.

[0112] Based on the determination of the material identifier package, a material identifier package and associated battery identifiers may be provided. The material identifier package may thus include a collection of battery identifiers associated with one or more material configurations that can be processed or processed together in a recycling plant. A package identifier may be generated by uniquely associating such package. A battery identifier associated with at least one material configuration that can be processed or processed together is linked to the package identifier. The package identifier may thus be associated with a battery or battery component that can be processed or processed together by at least one recycling plant or process. A material identifier package may be provided that includes the package identifier and / or the package of battery identifiers. Furthermore, the material identifier package may include the material configuration associated with the package identifier or the package of battery identifiers. The material identifier package may include, for each package of package identifiers or the package of battery identifiers, a plant identifier indicating the recycling plant where the battery or battery component is processed.

[0113] Optionally, the material identifier package may be used to generate and provide sorting instructions and / or collection instructions, as described in more detail in the context of FIG. 5 and FIG. 14. Such instructions may be generated based on the package of battery identifiers, or the package identifiers, and / or battery location data associated with the battery identifiers. An example of collection instructions includes a user interface indicating a scheduled pick-up. The sorting instructions may include machine readable instructions that may be provided to a sorting machine. The sorting machine may read the product identifiers and sort the products or components according to the material identifier package. The sorting machine may, in other embodiments, be provided with classification instructions as described above. The sorting machine may read the product identifiers and sort the products or components based on the classification instructions and generate a virtual material identifier package.

[0114] Further optionally, the material identifier package may be used to generate and provide transportation and / or storage instructions, as described in more detail in the context of Figures 5 and 14. Such instructions may be generated based on the package of battery identifiers or package identifiers, location data associated with the battery identifiers, and / or operation data associated with the plant identifier. The location data may be associated with the physical location of the batteries or battery components being recycled. The operation data may include data indicative of the location of the plant, the capacity of the plant, and / or the process specifications of the plant.

[0115] FIG. 5 illustrates another example embodiment of a flowchart for providing a material identifier package that can be used for recycling batteries, and in particular, a flowchart for operating a recycling process based on the material identifier package, or a method for sorting products to be recycled, such as batteries, based on material composition data associated with a product identifier.

[0116] One or more waste product identifiers, in particular battery identifiers, and associated material composition data can be provided, for example as described in the context of Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4. The material composition data can be associated with a material composition, such as a material type, material properties, or chemical composition, associated with one or more product components from which a waste product, such as a battery, is generated. A passive or active product identification element 12, 14, 32, 34 can be associated with a physical waste product, such as a battery. The identification element can be configured to provide a waste product identifier, in particular a battery identifier, and material data associated with the physical waste product, in particular a battery, which is associated or related to those described in the context of Figures 1-4. Additionally or alternatively, a product identifier, in particular a battery identifier, can be provided via a product element and material composition data can be provided by measurement.

[0117] Material classification instructions may be provided classifying the identifiers of one or more components of the waste product, in particular batteries, with respect to material type / characteristics or chemical composition. For example, in the case of batteries, this may include classification by material composition of one or more components of the battery to be recycled. In one option, classification of material composition classes A, B, C may relate to multiple components such as: A: electrolyte x, y, z; anode (passive and active materials) l, m, k; cathode (passive and active materials) e, d, f; housing g, h, I; battery management system m, n, o; separator p, q, r; B: electrolyte x2, y2, z2; anode (passive and active materials) l2, m2, k2; cathode (passive and active materials) e2, d2, f2; casing g2, h2, I2; battery management system m2, n2, o2; separator p2, q2, r2; C: electrolyte x3, y3, z3; anode (passive and active materials) l3, m3, k3; cathode (passive and active materials) e3, d3, f3; casing g3, h3, I3; battery management system m3, n3, o3; separator p3, q3, r3;

[0118] In another option, a classification of material composition classes A, B, C could be related to selected components eligible for recycling: A: Cathode (passive and active materials) abc B: Cathode (passive and active materials) def C: Cathode (passive and active materials) ghj

[0119] The batteries or components can be classified by the material composition data by the classification instructions. A material identifier package including the number of batteries or components per class can be determined and provided. The waste products, in particular the batteries or components thereof, can be classified based on their identifiers, the associated material composition data, and the provided material classification instructions. Based on the classified battery identifiers, the amount of material can be determined, for example, by the number of batteries or components and / or by the amount of material to be recycled, for example, per battery component.

[0120] The plant identifier can be provided together with operation data such as capacity data, process data, and / or location data. The operation data is associated with the plant identifier and includes capacity data, process data, and / or material data or material classification instructions. The classified quantity, number, and / or composition of the batteries or components based on the classified components or battery identifiers can be matched to the plant identifier based on the capacity, process specifications, and / or location of the recycling plant. One plant identifier can be selected and provided based on the classified number, quantity, and / or composition of the packages with the respective battery identifier or package identifier. Battery identifiers of one or more material classifications can be assigned to the recycling plant. The assignment can be based on the capacity, process specifications, material composition, and / or material classification of the plant. The operation data can be static data related to the general specifications of the plant or can be dynamic related to the current specifications of the plant. The latter allows a real-time view on the capacity, process data, and / or material data. Plants can be matched based on real-time information, allowing a more efficient and targeted use of plant resources in the recycling process. Material packages may be physically collected with sorting instructions, collection instructions, storage instructions, and / or transport instructions based on a battery identifier, or a package of package identifiers and potentially a plant identifier, for example as described in the context of FIG. 4.

[0121] Collection, sorting, storage and / or transport instructions for a collector system, a sorting system, a storage system and / or a transport system may be generated and provided. The sorting instructions may be determined based on the material identifier package having the battery identifier or package identifier. The sorting instructions may relate the battery identifier provided by the sensor reading the battery identifier element to material configurations that can be processed or processed together, such as can be processed or processed by at least one recycling plant. Such a relationship may include using classification instructions that provide material configurations that can be processed together, such as can be processed by at least one plant. Such a relationship may include using classification instructions that associate material configurations that can be processed together with at least one plant identifier. The sorting instructions may relate the battery identifier provided by the sensor reading the battery identifier element to a battery identifier included in the material identifier package. The sorting instructions may be provided to a sorting system for sorting the batteries to be recycled. The sorting system may be controlled and / or monitored based on such instructions. In some embodiments, the sorting instructions may be provided to a sorting system configured to read product or component identifiers from products or components and classify such identifiers to sort the products or components. Such sorting allows for simple and efficient sorting, as the logic for sorting can be implemented at least in part in a distributed computing environment and the sorting system can be based on a reading element combined with sorting hardware, such as a robot.

[0122] As shown in FIG. 14 , the battery identifier or component identifier may be provided to a sorting system. The sorting system may be configured to monitor and / or control sorting of batteries or components associated with one or more classes based on the sorting and / or classification instructions. The sorting system may be configured to monitor and / or control sorting of products or components by material composition based on the sorting and / or classification instructions. In this manner, sorting of products or components may occur via reading of identifiers associated with the products or components, simplifying sorting of such batteries or components by material composition.

[0123] Alternatively or additionally, collection instructions based on the material identifier package can be determined. The collection instructions can associate the battery identifier provided by the sensor reading the battery identifier element with material configurations that can be or are processed together, such as can be or are processed by at least one recycling plant. Such associations include using sorting instructions that provide material configurations that can be or are processed together, such as can be or are processed by at least one plant. Such associations may include using sorting instructions that associate material configurations that can be or are processed together with at least one plant identifier. Furthermore, collection point data can be provided that indicates a collection point for at least one component of the battery. The collection point data can be included in the material identifier package. In this way, the batteries can be sorted by targeted collection while sorting is realized at the time of collection, thereby simplifying the recycling process.

[0124] As shown in Fig. 14, identifiers of waste products, in particular batteries, associated with one classification may be provided to a collector system. The collector system may be configured to monitor and / or control the collection of waste products, in particular batteries, associated with one or more classifications based on such instructions. The collector system may be configured to monitor and / or control the collection of waste products, in particular batteries, by material composition based on collection and / or classification instructions. In this way, sorting of waste products is performed directly upon collection, thus making a further sorting process unnecessary.

[0125] The collector system may be configured to collect the waste products, particularly batteries, and provide waste product or battery identifiers for classification by material class. The classified waste product identifiers may be provided to the sorting system. Such provision may be made directly from the collector system to the classification system or indirectly via the computing environment to the sorting system. The collector system is configured to collect the waste products, particularly batteries, and is configured to classify the waste product or battery identifiers by material composition, so that it can store the associated identifiers and provide the waste product or battery identifiers per material class to the sorting system. The waste product or battery identifiers associated with one classification may be provided, for example, to the sorting system. The sorting system may be configured to sort the collected waste products associated with one or more classes. The sorting system may be configured to provide identifiers for classification by material composition and to sort the waste products based on the material composition. The waste product or battery ID associated with one material classification may be provided by the collector system or the computing environment.

[0126] Additionally or alternatively, transport instructions may be generated. Collection point data may be provided indicating collection points for the battery or at least one component of the battery. The collection point data may be included in the material identifier package. Transport instructions based on the collection point data and the plant location data or storage location data may be determined. Based on such data, one or more transport routes may be determined. The collection point data may indicate a starting point for the transport and the plant location data may indicate a destination point for the transport path. Such transport routes may be provided to a transport system, such as an autonomous vehicle.

[0127] Additionally or alternatively, storage instructions based on the capacity data and the number of batteries or components having a material composition that can be processed or processed together may be determined. The amount of material or the number of components per class or subclass may be determined based on the material classification. The amount of material may be provided to a storage system to manage the storage of the waste product and / or to a transport system to transport the waste product or to a computing environment. The storage instructions may be provided to a storage management system or to a transport system as transport instructions.

[0128] A recycling run for the recycled material may be scheduled by providing the package identifier along with the plant identifier to the plant operations system. Sorting, collection, storage, and / or transport instructions may be provided to the recycling plant operations system. A recycling run may be scheduled for each package or class of batteries by providing the package of battery identifiers or package identifiers to the recycling plant operations system. The assigned identifiers may be provided to the recycling plant operations system, indicated by the recycling plant identifier, along with the material identifier package, to schedule the recycling run.

[0129] FIG. 8 illustrates an example embodiment of a flow chart for processing recycled battery materials, and in particular for providing plant allocation data usable for operation of the recycling process.

[0130] For the recycling of batteries, recycling material data can be generated and provided, as shown in the examples of Figs. 4 and 5, in particular for material identifier packages usable to operate the recycling process. Such identifier data can be used to operate a recycling process that mechanically and / or chemically recycles at least one component of the battery. The recycling material data can include a battery identifier associated with at least one material configuration that can be or is processed by at least one recycling plant. Such identifiers can be associated with the package or package identifiers that collect the battery identifiers. For example, the electrode elements can be separated from the battery by discharging and disassembly and further processed according to the package that collected the battery identifiers. In this way, recycling materials such as black mass can be virtually tracked during the recycling process, and such tracking can be used to operate the plants that process the respective materials of the battery.

[0131] A recycled material identifier and corresponding recycled material data associated with the recycled battery material may be provided. The recycled material identifier may be associated with one or more battery identifiers and corresponding material composition data of the recycled batteries to provide the recycled battery material. The recycled material data may be provided by computer executable instructions executed at least in part in a distributed computing or distributed environment, the computer executable instructions accessing the recycled material data of the recycled battery material based on the recycled material identifier. The material composition data may be provided by a computing node of the distributed computing environment associated with a producer that produces or uses the material, such as a material producer. The material composition data may be provided as part of the recycled material data. The material composition data may be provided by a battery or component identifier included in the recycled material data and by accessing the material composition data via the battery or component identifier. The recycled material data may include a material composition of the recycled material based on the material identifier package or determined at the time of generation of the material identifier package. For accessing the recycled material data, the recycled material data provider may include one or more recycling systems that generate the material identifier package. The recycled material data may be provided by a computing node of a distributed computing environment associated with one or more recycling systems, preferably configured to generate a material identifier package and / or determine a material composition of the recycled material based on the material identifier package. The recycled material identifier may be associated with a material package identifier and corresponding material composition data associated with the recycled battery material. The recycled battery material may include black mass material provided by recycling battery cells or battery electrode elements.

[0132] Operational data associated with at least one operational characteristic of the plant may be provided. The operational data may be provided by computer executable instructions executed at least in part in a distributed computing environment, the computer executable instructions accessing the operational data of the plant based on a plant identifier. The operational data may be provided by distributed computing nodes associated with one or more plants, such as recycling plants, and / or one or more recycling systems, such as collectors, sorters, transport, storage systems, etc. The operational data may be provided for access or may be accessed by distributed computing nodes associated with one or more recycling systems, and / or classification instructions associating one or more plants with recycled material data and / or recycled material identifiers. The operational data may be accessed as required by distributed computing nodes associated with one or more recycling systems, and / or classification instructions associating one or more plants with recycled material data and / or recycled material identifiers. The operational data may include classification instructions associating one or more plants with recycled material data and / or recycled material identifiers. The operational data may be provided to determine a plant identifier that identifies a plant suitable for processing recycled battery material associated with recycled material data and / or recycled battery identifier data, such as recycled material identifiers. The operational data may include a plant identifier, a plant capacity related to the capacity of the plant, process data related to process characteristics of the plant, and / or material classification data related to materials that can be processed or are processed by the plant. The operational data may be provided or accessed in a distributed computing environment. The operational data may relate to static production characteristics of the plant and / or dynamic production characteristics of the plant. The operational plant data may be static data related to a general specification of the plant or dynamic data related to a current specification of the plant.The latter allows for real-time insight into capacity, process data and / or material data: plants can be matched based on real-time information, thus allowing for more efficient and targeted use of plant resources in recycling or production processes.

[0133] The assignment of plant identifier data, such as a plant identifier, to recycled material data and / or recycled battery identifier data, such as a recycled material identifier, may be based on plant capacity data, may include, or may be based on plant capacity data, process data, and / or material data. The plant may be any recycling plant, including mechanical, thermal, chemical, or a combination thereof. The plant may be a metallurgical plant for recovering transition metals from battery materials. The metallurgical plant may be a hydrometallurgical plant and / or a pyrometallurgical plant. The recycled battery material may be assigned to a one-stage, two-stage, or multi-stage process including at least one hydrometallurgical plant and / or a pyrometallurgical plant. The recycled battery material may include an electrode active material. The recycled material may be black mass.

[0134] The plant identifier data, such as a plant identifier, may be determined by sorting according to sorting instructions that provide material data that can be or will be processed by the plant. The sorting instructions may be provided or executed by at least one node of a distributed computing system. The sorting instructions may be executed at least partially in a distributed computing environment, where the sorting instructions collect recycled material identifiers that associate one or more plants with recycled material data, such as recycled material composition, and respective plant identifiers. The sorting instructions that access the recycled material data based on the recycled material or product identifiers can initiate sorting followed by forwarding the sorted results. The sorting instructions may be initiated by one or more recycling systems at any stage of the recycling process following the generation of the material identifier package. The sorting instructions may access the recycled material data via recycled material identifiers provided by one or more recycling systems and / or product identifiers provided by the material producer. The sorting instructions may forward the sorting results to one or more recycling systems, such as sorting, collection, transport or storage systems, and / or to one or more plants, such as recycling and / or production plants.

[0135] Such classification instructions may include material compositions that can or will be processed by the plant. For example, if the battery material composition indicates Li as a component, the assigned plant may be a hydrometallurgical plant. Further, for example, if Li is not included as a component, a pyrometallurgical or hydrometallurgical plant may be assigned. Additionally or alternatively, the determination of the plant identifier data may include capacity or process specifications. For example, if electrolyte is part of the recycled battery material, the plant's operational specifications, such as electrolyte separation, may need to be adapted or a plant with appropriate process specifications may need to be assigned. Further, for example, if the plant is already at capacity, another plant may be assigned. For example, the quantity or amount of recycled battery material may be determined via the recycled battery material identifier and material composition data. The material composition may include relative quantities or amounts of components and / or absolute quantities or amounts of materials. The determination of the plant identifier data production data may relate to the production process of the plant. The plant identifier may be determined based on operations related to the classification of the material. A plant identifier may be provided. Plant assignment data may be provided that includes the plant identifier and the associated recycled material identifier. In this way, incoming recycle materials can be identified and processed by the plant.

[0136] At least one plant identifier associated with a plant for processing the recycled battery material associated with the at least one recycled battery identifier is determined. Determining the at least one plant identifier may include selecting a plant identifier associated with a plant for processing the recycled battery material associated with the recycled battery identifier data based on the operation data. Determining the at least one plant identifier may include classification by classification instructions providing material data associated with one or more material configurations processable or processed by the at least one plant. Determining the at least one plant identifier may include matching the at least one recycled material identifier with the at least one plant identifier based on an amount of recycled battery material and a capacity of the plant. Determining the at least one plant identifier may include matching the at least one recycled material identifier with the at least one plant identifier based on process data associated with one or more recycling processes and / or material data associated with the at least one material configuration processable or processed by the at least one plant.

[0137] Plant allocation data including at least one recycled material identifier associated with the at least one plant identifier may be provided. From the plant allocation data, transportation and / or storage instructions may be determined and provided. At least one execution task to at least one manufacturing execution system of the plant may be provided and transmitted.

[0138] Transport and / or storage instructions based on location data associated with the recycled material associated with the recycled material identifier and the plant identifier may be generated and provided as disclosed in the context of Figures 5 and 14. At least one execution task of the plant to at least one manufacturing execution system may be provided. The plant may be controlled and / or monitored according to the execution task.

[0139] FIG. 9 illustrates an example embodiment of a flow chart for assigning plants to operate a recycle process.

[0140] Battery identifiers and corresponding material compositions may be provided. Classification instructions may be accessed or provided to classify batteries by chemical composition, for example, cathode active material. Battery identifiers may be matched by chemical composition, for example, cathode active material, from one or more batteries. Package identifiers associated with the chemical composition of a package, such as a black mass package, may be generated, for example, as disclosed in the context of Figures 1-7 and 14, 15.

[0141] Operational data and plant identifiers are accessed or provided to match an appropriate recycling plant to operate the recycling process. The operational data may include a plant identifier associated with the process and capacity data. Based on the operational data, a package identifier is matched to a plant identifier. For example, from the package identifier, the number of batteries or quantity or amount of material to be recycled may be determined. Based on the quantity or amount or number and plant capacity, the battery packages are assigned to a plant. Each plant identifier may be provided with a package identifier associated with a package of batteries or a package of battery material.

[0142] The packages may be collected with storage or transport instructions based on the package identifier and the plant identifier. Additionally or alternatively, plant recycling operations for each battery package may be scheduled by providing the package identifier to a recycling plant operations system.

[0143] FIG. 10 illustrates an example embodiment of a flow chart for allocating plants to operate a recycling process.

[0144] A battery identifier and associated material composition data may be provided, as well as a plant identifier and associated operational data. The operational data may include capacity, material handling, and process data associated with the plant indicated by the plant identifier.

[0145] The capacity data can be matched to the quantity or amount of recycled material or the number of batteries associated with the battery identifier. Additional matching criteria may be plant process data and / or material processing data related to the material composition data associated with the battery identifier or the recycled material data associated with the recycled material identifier.

[0146] If a suitable plant is not identified, a storage order may be generated and the associated battery identifier or recycled material identifier may be stored in a database of unassigned recycled material packages.

[0147] If a plant with recycling capabilities is identified, the battery identifier or recycled material identifier may be matched with the material processing data or process data.

[0148] If a suitable plant is identified, the battery identifier or recycled material identifier is assigned to a plant identifier, which the plant can then receive and schedule the recycling process.

[0149] If a suitable plant is not identified, a storage order may be generated and the respective identifier stored in a database of unassigned packages.

[0150] 11 to 13 visualize examples of data structures that can be implemented in a distributed or decentralized environment, at least in part, based on distributed identifiers. Such data structures can be implemented in a distributed or centralized storage environment, based on relational databases, graph databases, etc.

[0151] Battery identifiers may be associated with different components of the battery. Such battery identifiers can be matched and assigned to package identifiers as described in the context of Figure 7. By such virtual sorting based on the associated material composition, the packages can be collected and / or sorted to match the respective recycling processes.

[0152] The package can be assigned to a recycling plant for recycling the packaged material composition of the battery material, and the package identifier can be virtually assigned to a recycling plant identifier in a first and / or second stage of the recycling process, for example as described in the context of Figures 15 and 16.

[0153] The recycled material packages produced can be assigned, via the associated package identifier, to further recycling plants that produce recyclates, and the recyclates can be assigned, via the associated package identifier, to plant identifiers associated with plants that use the recyclates to produce new batteries.

[0154] FIG. 14 illustrates an example of a system for operating a recycling process in a battery recycling chain.

[0155] At the start of the recycling chain is an end of life product 1400. In this case, the end of life product 1400 is a lithium ion battery. The lithium ion battery may include an identifier element as described in the context of Figures 1 and 2. Such battery or component identifiers may be used in a distributed computing environment or network as described in the context of Figures 3a to 3d.

[0156] An identifier for the end-of-life battery 1400 can be provided by reading an identifier element with a reader 1404, for example as described in the context of Figures 1, 2, 4, and 5. Upon reading the identifier for the end-of-life battery, the material composition data and other data, such as condition data collected during the life of the battery, can be accessed via the identifier. The material composition data can be accessed via a distributed computing network. For example, the material composition data can be provided by a distributed computing node associated with a producer or user of the material.

[0157] Based on the material composition data associated with the end-of-life battery 1400, the battery identifiers may be sorted into packages of identifiers that may be processed together in a subsequent recycling chain. For example, the ID package generator 1406 may be configured to perform the methods described in the context of Figs. 4-5 to provide battery recycling data. Such data may be used to provide sorting and / or collection of batteries, for example, by sorting and / or collection instructions as described in the context of Figs. 4, 5. For example, the collector and / or sorting system 1402 may be configured to receive such instructions and sort and / or collect the batteries based on such instructions. In other embodiments, the reader 1404 and the ID package generator 1406 may be part of the collector and / or sorting system 1402. The batteries may be directly sorted upon reading, based on the classification provided by the ID package generator 1406.

[0158] Based on the status data associated with the end-of-life battery, the battery may be discharged and / or disassembled by discharge and / or disassembly instructions. Such instructions may include an analysis of status data collected during life, an end-of-life measurement protocol for collecting status data from the end-of-life battery, an analysis of status data collected by the end-of-life measurement protocol, or any combination thereof. The analysis of status data collected during the life period may include data related to self-discharge, charge / discharge process, or status variables (e.g., cell temperature). In this manner, further processing instructions regarding the use of the battery 1400 may be determined without the effort of measurement. The end-of-life measurement protocol may include measurements of capacity, power, physical or chemical properties, or resistance. Analysis of such measurement data may lead to further processing instructions regarding the use of the battery. Alternatively or additionally, such instructions may include discharge and / or disassembly instructions for a robotic system. For example, the discharger and / or disassembler system 1404 may be configured to receive such instructions and disassemble and / or discharge the battery 1400 based on such instructions.

[0159] Components of the end-of-life battery, such as cells, cathode elements, anode elements, electrolytes, separators, or housings, may be associated with a battery identifier and / or a separate component identifier. Based on the identifier package provided by the battery recycling data, transport and / or storage instructions may be generated for the battery, or for the battery components if disassembled, as described, for example, in the context of Figs. 4, 5. For example, the transport and / or storage system 1406 may be configured to receive such instructions and transport and / or store the battery or components based on such instructions. The collector and / or sorting system 1402, the discharge and / or disassembly system 1404, and the transport and / or storage system 1406 may be a recycling system connected via a distributed computing network. The system may be associated with computing nodes of the distributed computing system. Each node may be configured to access or provide data in the distributed computing system.

[0160] Based on the battery recycling data associated with the battery identifier and the operation data associated with the plant identifier, the battery or battery components may be assigned to a plant identifier by providing plant assignment data as described in the context of Figures 6 to 8. The plant associated with the plant identifier may be a mechanical or chemical recycling plant. If the recycling chain includes multiple recycling plants, the plant assignment data may include multiple plant identifiers. For example, as shown in Figure 15 for the cathode element, the recycling chain may include mechanical processing, then pyrometallurgical processing, then hydrometallurgical processing of the battery material provided to the production process as recycled battery material. In another option, the recycling chain may include mechanical processing, then hydrometallurgical processing of the battery material provided to the production process as recycled battery material. The recycling process provides transition metals separately or already in the desired stoichiometry to produce new materials. For example, the plant assigner 1408 may be configured to provide plant assignment data and provide such plant assignment data to the chemical / mechanical recycling system 1410 of the respective plant associated with the plant identifier. Based on the plant assignment data and the location data, transport and / or storage instructions may be generated by a transport and / or storage system, as described herein, for example, in Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. For example, the plant allocator 1406 may be configured to provide the plant assignment data and provide such plant assignment data to the production system 1416 of the respective production plant associated with the plant identifier. The plant allocator, the transport and / or storage system 1406, and the chemical recycle system may be part of a distributed computing environment. Each system may be associated with a computing node of the distributed computing system to access and / or provide data in the distributed computing network.

[0161] Based on the tracked recycled material packages and recycle rate data, production data may be provided by the recycle rate quota generator 1418. Any calculations may also be performed via the computing environment. The computing environment may be based on a distributed computing architecture, as described in the context of Figs. 3a-3c. The collector system 1402 may include a collection mechanism for collecting the batteries 1400 or components of the batteries 1400 to be recycled. The sorting system 1402 may include a mechanism for sorting the batteries 1400 or components of the batteries 1400 to be recycled. The recycling system 1410 may include a recycling plant for recycling the batteries 1400 or components of the batteries 1400 to be recycled. The output of the recycling system 1410 may be recycled material suitable for use in a production plant. The recycling plant may include a chemical, mechanical, thermal and / or magnetic recycling plant. The production system 1416 may include a production plant for producing batteries and / or components of batteries based at least in part on the recycled material provided by the recycling plant. The input materials of the production plant may include virgin materials and recycled materials. The collector system 1404, the discharge system 1404, the transport and / or storage system 1406, the computing environment, the sorting system 1402, the production system 1416, and / or the recycling system 1410 may be communicatively coupled to each other. The communication may be peer-to-peer communication provided by a distributed computing environment, as described in the context of FIG. 3d. The ID package generator 1406, the plant allocator 1408, and the recycle content generator 1418 may be distributed service applications or may be part of one or more computing nodes associated with the recycling system or plant.

[0162] The computing environment, collector system, or sorting system 1402 may be configured to generate collection and / or sorting instructions based on the material identifier package, for example, as described in the context of Figures 4 and 5. The computing environment, collector system, sorting system 1402, production plant system 1416, or recycling plant system may be configured to generate transport and / or storage instructions based on the material identifier package, for example, as described in the context of Figures 4 and 5.

[0163] The collector system and / or sorting system 1402 may be configured to provide the battery identifier to the computing environment. The battery identifier may be provided via an identification element as described in FIGS. 1-2. For example, the collector system and / or sorting system 1402 may be configured to read a QR code on the battery or a component of the battery. The collector system and / or sorting system 1402 may be configured to provide location data to the computing environment. The location data may be provided by a user terminal, such as a sensor that reads the identification element, or by an identifier of the system that registers the service. For example, a user accessing the service may provide the location data.

[0164] The computing environment, collector system, and / or sorting system 1402 having distributed computing nodes may be configured to access material data based on the provided battery identifier. The computing environment may include an ID generator configured to determine a material identifier package including a package of battery identifiers as described in the context of FIGS. 4 and 5. The computing environment, collector system, and / or sorting system 1402 may be configured to provide the material identifier package for operating the recycling process. The computing environment, collector system, and / or sorting system 1402 may be configured to provide collection instructions and / or sorting instructions.

[0165] For example, the computing environment or a node of the computing environment may be configured to determine collection point data indicating a collection location of the batteries or battery components to be recycled based on the location of the batteries associated with the material identifier package. The collection instructions may include the collection location. The collection instructions may be provided to the collector system. The collection instructions may include the collection location of each package identifier or package of battery identifiers included in the material identifier package. In this way, the batteries or battery components can be collected such that they can be processed or processed together and no further sorting is required. The collector system 1402 may be configured to collect the batteries or battery components to be recycled, preferably by material composition. In this way, sorting of the batteries or battery components to be recycled occurs directly at the time of collection, thereby making a further sorting process unnecessary. The collector system 1402 may be configured to collect the batteries or battery components to be recycled, provide the battery IDs for generating a material identifier package according to the classification instructions, or provide the material identifier package to, for example, a sorting system, classify the battery IDs according to the classification instructions, and store the associated recycling data, or provide the associated recycling data to, for example, a sorting system by material composition.

[0166] Further for example, a computing environment or a node of a computing environment may be configured to generate sorting instructions based on a collection of package identifiers or battery identifiers. The sorting instructions may include a battery identifier for each package. The sorting instructions may be provided to a sorting system. The sorting system may be configured to provide a battery identifier for each battery or battery component to be recycled and to sort such batteries or battery components based on the provided sorting instructions. In this manner, the batteries or battery components may be sorted by reading the identification elements such that they can be processed or processed together.

[0167] The computing environment, the collector system 1402, the sorting system 1402, the production plant system 1416, or the recycling plant system 1410 may be configured to generate transport and / or storage instructions based on the material identifier package. The transport instructions may be determined based on the location data of the battery or component to be recycled and based on a target location of the battery or component to be recycled. The target location may be associated with a recycling plant for processing the material configuration. The storage instructions may be determined based on the capacity of the recycling plant and / or based on the number of batteries or components per package identifier or per package of battery identifiers. If the capacity of the plant is greater than the number of batteries or components per package collected for the material configuration, storage instructions may be generated. Such storage instructions may include a storage location for storing the battery or its components until the number reaches the capacity of the plant.

[0168] As mentioned above, there are different variations for implementing the methods, apparatus, and systems described herein. Different systems may implement different method steps or service components. The described embodiments are merely examples and should not be considered limiting.

[0169] FIG. 15 shows an example of a recycling chain for cathode active materials.

[0170] The battery contains different parts of materials, as described in Figure 1. The recycling chain may contain different steps and different designs are possible. First, the end-of-life battery is discharged and then disassembled. The battery is discharged and disassembled to separate the components, such as the cells. The components of the battery may be put into a subsequent recycling stream. For example, mechanical processing may follow. This may include mechanical crushing (shredding) of the battery cells and separation of the materials. The electrolyte residues can be removed from the active materials by drying or pyrolysis before the next process step. The mechanical separation of the "black mass" (e.g. Co, Ni, Mn, C), current conducting foils and separator parts can be performed by a combination of crushing, drying, sorting and classification processes. The materials can be sorted by physical properties such as particle size, shape, density, electrical and magnetic properties. For example, the foils and the active materials including transition metals can be separated. Such recycled materials may be called black mass.

[0171] The separated components can be fed into a subsequent recycling stream. For example, the cells of the battery can be recycled to recover the transition metals contained in the electrode elements. In particular, lithium-ion batteries contain electrode active materials that contain lithium. The recycling process can follow different process layouts depending on the material composition used in the cells of the lithium-ion battery. The recycled material from the mechanical recycling can be further processed by pyrometallurgy and / or hydrometallurgy. For example, depending on the composition of the battery material to be recycled, pyrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy, or a combination of both can be used. One process design can be based on pyrometallurgy of the battery scrap material followed by hydrometallurgy processing. Another process design can be based on direct hydrometallurgical processing of the battery material. In such a process, the metals are transitioned separately or already in the form of a desired stoichiometry to create a new cathode active material.

[0172] Based on the virtual packaging of the battery with the material composition via the battery identifier, the material composition of the recycled material can be tracked. Furthermore, the composition of the recycled battery material can be determined by classifying the battery identifier based on the associated material composition. In this way, the composition of the recycled battery material can be tailored for the subsequent recycling process steps. Furthermore, such tracking of the recycled material is performed to the recycler, and the tracking can be used to track, for example, the available amount of the recycler or the recycler composition. A distributed computing environment that provides access to specific material data via the identifier enables reliable and efficient operation throughout the recycling process from the end-of-life product to the recycler that can be reused in the production of new materials.

[0173] FIG. 16 illustrates an example flow chart of a method for providing recycled feed content for producing at least one component of a battery.

[0174] Recycling data associated with the use of recycled precursor materials in the production of at least one component of the battery may be provided. The recycling data may indicate a recycled feed content of at least one component of the battery. The recycled feed content may identify a total amount of recycled feed content of the component, or a recycled feed content per precursor. The recycling data may include a recycled amount or quota for one or more precursor products. For example, for electrode active materials of a lithium-ion battery, a specific recycled amount or quota may be provided for a particular precursor, such as a metal such as cobalt, lithium, copper, nickel. Additionally or alternatively, a total recycled feed content for at least one component of the battery may be provided. For example, in the case of a lithium-ion battery, a total amount or percentage of recycled content independent of the precursor may be provided. Such a total amount or percentage may relate to an individual component, a combination of components, or to the entire component of the battery. For example, in the case of a lithium-ion battery, the total amount or percentage may relate to an electrode element including an electrode active material, an anode element including an anode active material, a cell and its components, or a battery and its components. The recycling data may, for example, specify that 20% of copper is to be recycled copper, 10% of lithium is to be recycled lithium, and 12% of nickel is to be recycled nickel. The recycling data may, for example, specify that 15% or 20% transition metals are to be recycled transition metals. The recycling data may, for example, specify that 30% of the materials used to produce the components of the battery are to be recycled materials. FIG. 20 illustrates one embodiment of a user interface for inputting recycling quotas. In other embodiments, such data may be provided through an application programming interface or other service that provides such data.

[0175] Operational data associated with at least one operational characteristic of the at least one production plant can be accessed and provided. Such operational data can relate to an availability of one or more recycled precursors for producing at least one component of a battery. For example, the availability can be derived from a storage level of different recycled precursors, from a recycle package identifier associated with an amount of recycled precursor available from a recycling process, or from a recycled material identifier including a batter identifier associated with an amount recycled or available from a recycling process. Such availability data can be further associated with the plant. For example, a given material may be available for a production plant in the vicinity of the plant. Other examples of operational data can include capacity data indicative of a current capacity of the production plant, process data indicative of a process specification of the production plant, performance data indicative of a performance specification of the production plant, or emissions data associated with the production plant.

[0176] Based on the recycling data and the operation data, a recycle feed content of one or more recycled precursors can be determined. The recycle feed content of the one or more precursors can be determined according to a recycle amount of one or more precursor products, a recycle rate quota of one or more precursor products, and / or a total recycle feed content of at least one component of the battery to be produced. For example, if a recycle amount or quota is provided, the minimum recycle feed content can correspond to the recycle amount or quota.

[0177] Further operational data may be taken into account to determine the recycle feed content for one or more recycled precursors. The operational data may include available quantity data derived from the battery identifier. The available quantity data may indicate the amount of recycled material available from the recycling process. Such quantity may be derived from the battery identifier and material tracking disclosed herein. Advantageously, the recycle package identifier associated with the amount of recycled precursor available from the recycling process, or the recycled material identifier including the battery identifier associated with the amount to be recycled and available from the recycling process, may be easily accessed in a distributed computing environment, thereby enabling a connection between the recycle feed content for production and the recycled material from the recycling process. In this way, a reliable and environmentally friendly management of material resources combined with physical recycling and production may be achieved, which is particularly advantageous in a distributed system of material flows, recycling plants, and production plants.

[0178] For example, if precursor availability data is provided, the recycle feed content of those precursors with high availability can be increased relative to the recycle amount or quota. In this way, the recycle feed content and the production volume can be adjusted to the recycle feed content. Further, for example, if a total amount or quota is provided, the recycle feed content can be distributed among different precursors. If precursor availability data is provided, the recycle feed content of those precursors with high availability can be increased relative to the recycle feed content of those precursors with low availability. In this way, the recycle feed content and the production volume can be adjusted to the recycle feed content.

[0179] In particular, determining the recycle feed content may be relevant to the process of making electrode active materials for lithium-ion batteries. In such a process, a precursor may first be formed by co-precipitating a transition metal as a carbonate, oxide, or preferably a hydroxide, which may or may not be basic. A process for making particulate (oxy)hydroxides of transition metals is described, for example, in WO2021244963A1, which is incorporated herein by reference. The particulate (oxy)hydroxides may function as precursors of electrode active materials, and therefore may also be referred to as precursors. The formation of a transition metal-based precursor may include recycled transition metals provided according to the determined recycle feed content for the transition metal precursor. The transition metal-based precursor may then be mixed with a precursor source of lithium, such as, but not limited to, LiOH, Li2O, or Li2CO3, and calcined (fired) at high temperatures. Methods for making electrodes are described, for example, in WO2020 / 069882A1, incorporated herein by reference, and lithium salts can be used as hydrates or in dehydrated form. Calcined (or fired), also commonly referred to as thermal or heat treatment of the precursor, can be carried out at temperatures ranging from 600 to 1000°C. During heat treatment, a solid-state reaction occurs to form the electrode active material. Lithium-containing precursors can include recycled lithium or precursors formed from recycled lithium. Recycled lithium or precursors formed from recycled lithium can be provided by the recycle feed content for such precursors.

[0180] The determined recycle feed content of one or more recycled precursors for the production of at least one component of the battery can be provided to generate instructions for operating the production plant. For example, based on the composition of the components and the recycle feed content per precursor, instructions for monitoring and / or controlling the product feeds can be generated and provided to an operation system of the production plant. Apart from the feeds, further operation instructions for monitoring and / or controlling the operation of the production plant can be generated and provided. Such further instructions can include different operation parameters depending on the feed composition or the recycle feed content. The operation plant can be operated based on the provided instructions for monitoring and / or controlling the operation of the production plant.

[0181] FIG. 17 illustrates another example of a method for providing recycle feed content for producing at least one component of a battery based on availability data, and optionally including selection of a production plant.

[0182] The recycle rate feed content can be determined, for example, according to the embodiment example of FIG. 16. The recycle quota per precursor of the battery components to be produced can be provided, for example, via a user interface as shown in FIG. 20. This can include, for example, the recycle quota of the metal components contained in the electrode active material. Such a recycle quota can be verified by accessing a regulatory database. It can be checked whether the recycle quota is regulated. If the recycle quota is regulated, it can be checked whether the provided recycle quota complies with the regulated recycle quota. If the recycle quota does not comply with the regulatory requirements, it can be adapted accordingly. For example, the regulated recycle quota can be used.

[0183] In this example, a precursor identifier and availability data may be provided to determine the recycle feed content. The precursor identifier may be associated with at least one precursor and an amount of available recycled precursor. The precursor identifier may be associated with an amount of available recycled precursor. The precursor identifier may be related to a recycled material identifier or may be derived from a battery identifier and tracking in the recycling process. The determination of the recycle feed content can be done by matching the recycling quota provided per precursor with the availability data per precursor. Such matching may be performed per precursor as described in the context of FIG. 16 and may take into account the recycling quota adapted per precursor based on regulatory checks as described above.

[0184] Further, capacity data related to the production capacity of one or more production plants, process data related to the process specifications of one or more production plants, performance data related to the performance characteristics of one or more production plants, and / or emissions data related to the emissions for producing at least one component of the battery may be provided. The emissions data may include precursors for producing the components of the battery and emissions from the at least one production plant. The emissions data may include at least one emissions target for the use of the precursors in the production of the at least one component. The emissions data may include a total emissions target for producing the at least one component. The emissions target may be provided through a user interface, for example as shown in FIG. 22. Here, other emissions such as total emissions, production emissions, transportation emissions, etc. may be provided by the user. In other embodiments, such data may be provided through an application programming interface, or any other service that provides such data.

[0185] Based on the capacity data and / or the discharge data, a plant can be selected for processing the recycle rate and for producing at least one component using the recycle rate feed content. Selecting a production plant for producing the component can depend on combining the determined recycle rate feed content with process data and / or capacity data to determine whether the plant is suitable for processing the recycle rate. Selection of a production plant for producing the component can also depend on the discharge data and / or performance data. A production plant that meets at least one discharge target regarding the use of precursors and / or a total discharge target for producing at least one component can be selected. Selection of a production plant can be based on a multi-dimensional metric that defines a distance and / or a threshold measurement. The distance and / or threshold measurement can be determined from the determined recycle rate feed content related to the process data and / or capacity data, the recycle rate feed content related to at least one discharge target regarding the use of precursors and / or a total discharge target for producing at least one component.

[0186] Furthermore, the composition of the recyclate, tracked throughout the recycling chain, for example via an identifier, based on the process data, can be used to match the process specifications of the plant with the process specifications required for the composition of the recyclate. For example, in the case of electrode active materials, the recyclate may be available with the desired stoichiometry required for the production of electrode active materials, or transition metal recyclates may be available separately. In such a case, a recyclate with the desired stoichiometry can be selected in combination with a suitable plant for producing electrode active materials from such recyclates. This plant may be an electrode active material production plant or a cathode active material (CAM) plant for processing transition metal carbonates, oxides or hydroxides as precursors. If only transition metal recyclates are available, another suitable plant for producing electrode active materials or cathode active materials from such recyclates may be selected. This plant may be a precursor electrode active material production plant or a precursor cathode active material (PCAM) plant for processing transition metals as precursors.

[0187] Operation instructions for controlling and / or monitoring the production system, such as the precursor feed of at least one virgin precursor and / or at least one recycled precursor, may be generated and provided. Further operation instructions for controlling and / or monitoring the operation of the selected plant may be determined, for example, based on the determined recycled feed content, the emission target, the performance data and the selected production plant. The operation instructions for controlling and / or monitoring the operation of the selected plant may be provided to the production system. The production plant may be operated based on such operation instructions.

[0188] FIG. 18 illustrates another example of a method for providing recycled feed contents for producing at least one component of a battery that includes a chemical performance check.

[0189] The recycle feed content can be determined, for example, as described in the context of Fig. 16 and Fig. 17. Such determination can be provided with the recycle content per component or precursor. Furthermore, target performance parameters of the components can be provided. The recycle data can include target performance parameters associated with the recycle content and the expected performance of the produced components. The target performance parameters can relate to at least one component or at least one component in relation to other components. For example, the performance of the electrode active material or the anode active material can be provided. In the case of a lithium-ion battery, such performance parameters can relate to energy density, charge density, degradation behavior, capacity, etc. The target performance parameters can be provided, for example, via a user interface as shown in Fig. 22. Here, the charge density, capacity and degradation can be provided by the user. In other embodiments, such data can be provided through an application programming interface or any other service that provides such data.

[0190] Further, availability data per recycled precursor can be accessed and provided. The recycled feed content can be determined, for example, as described in the context of Figures 16 and 17. The determination of the recycled feed content can include determining a chemical performance associated with a component produced using the recycled feed content. From the determined recycled feed content of one or more precursors, the chemical composition of at least one component can be determined taking into account the virgin and recycled feed content. For such composition, the chemical performance of at least one component produced can be determined. For example, the energy density or capacity resulting from the chemical composition of the electrode or anode active material can be determined based on a first principles model, a data-driven model, or a combination of both.

[0191] Thus, based on the determined recycled feed content, chemical performance parameters associated with the components produced that are dependent on the determined recycled feed content can be determined. Such determined chemical performance parameters can be compared to the provided target performance parameters to determine whether the components produced using the feed composition meet the required chemical performance.

[0192] If the chemical performance is met for the determined recycle feed content, operation instructions for controlling and / or monitoring the production system, such as the precursor feed of at least one virgin precursor and / or at least one recycled precursor, may be generated and provided. Further operation instructions for controlling and / or monitoring the operation of the selected plant may be determined, for example, based on the determined recycle feed content, the discharge target, the performance data, and the selected production plant. The operation instructions for controlling and / or monitoring the operation of the selected plant may be provided to the production system. The production plant is operated based on such operation instructions.

[0193] FIG. 19 illustrates another example of a method for providing recycled feed content for producing at least one component of a battery including discharge target checks and optionally including plant selection.

[0194] The recycle feed content can be determined and provided, for example, as described in the context of Figures 16, 17 and 18. Optionally, a plant for processing the recycle can be selected based on emission targets and capacity data, for example, as described in the context of Figures 16 and 17. From such a selection, the emissions associated with the precursors and the selected production plant can be determined and it can be checked whether the emission targets are met.

[0195] If the discharge targets are not met, the recycle feed content may be redetermined based on the total discharge target, or the recycle feed content may be determined based on at least one discharge target related to the use of the precursor. Optionally, a different plant may be selected.

[0196] If the discharge target is met, operation instructions for controlling the precursor feed of at least one virgin precursor and / or at least one recycled precursor may be generated based on the determined recycled feed content and / or the selected production plant. For example, operation instructions for controlling and / or monitoring the precursor feed of at least one virgin precursor and / or at least one recycled precursor may be provided. Further operation instructions for controlling and / or monitoring the operation of the selected plant may be determined based on the determined recycled feed content and the selected production plant. The operation instructions for controlling and / or monitoring the operation of the selected plant may be provided to, for example, a production system. The production plant may be controlled and / or monitored according to the operation instructions.

[0197] The present disclosure has been described in conjunction with preferred embodiments as examples as well. However, other variations can be understood and implemented by those skilled in the art and those practicing the claimed invention from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the claims. In particular, any steps presented can be performed in any order, i.e., the invention is not limited to a particular order of these steps. Moreover, different steps need not be performed at a particular location or at one node of a distributed system, i.e., each step may be performed at different nodes using different devices / data processing units.

[0198] As used herein, "determine" includes "initiating or causing a determining," "generate," "query," "access," "correlate," "match," and "select" include "initiating or causing a generating, accessing, querying, correlating, selecting, and / or matching," and "providing" includes "initiating or causing a determining, generating, accessing, querying, correlating, selecting, and / or matching, transmitting, and / or receiving, generating, accessing, querying, correlating, selecting, and / or matching, transmitting, and / or receiving." "Initiating or causing an action" includes any processing signal that triggers a computing node to perform the respective action.

[0199] In the claims and the description, the word "comprising" or "including" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single element or other unit may fulfill the functions of several entities or items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used in advantageous embodiments.

Claims

1. 1. A computer-implemented method for operating a battery recycling process for recycling materials contained in a battery associated with at least one battery identifier, the method comprising the steps of: - providing at least one battery identifier and corresponding material composition data associated with at least one component of the battery to be recycled; determining at least one material identifier package by associating at least one material configuration provided by said material configuration data with at least one material configuration processable by at least one plant; - providing at least one material identifier package usable for recycling batteries, the material identifier package including at least one battery identifier; - operating a product recycling process for recycling materials contained in a product associated with at least one product identifier based on said at least one material identifier package; A method comprising:

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the material composition data relates to a chemical composition of an electrode active material.

3. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein material composition data associated with materials used to produce a battery or a component of a battery is provided by distributed computing nodes associated with producers that produce or use the materials.

4. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one material identifier package comprises a collection of battery identifiers associated with batteries or components to be recycled and / or at least one material configuration processable by at least one recycling plant.

5. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one material identifier package includes material composition data associated with recycled battery materials produced from at least one recycled component of a battery, the material composition data being determined from battery identifiers and their corresponding material make-up data.

6. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein determining the at least one material identifier package comprises sorting according to sorting instructions providing a material configuration processable by at least one plant.

7. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein determining the at least one material identifier package includes providing classification instructions executed at least in part in a distributed computing environment, the classification instructions collecting battery identifiers according to material configurations processable by at least one plant.

8. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the battery identifier is provided from a sensor that reads a battery identifier element, the battery identifier element being physically connected to at least one component of the battery being recycled.

9. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the material composition data associated with materials used to produce a battery or at least one component of a battery is accessed by distributed computing nodes associated with a sorting instruction or associated with one or more recycling systems.

10. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the recycling process is operated by providing a material identifier package for controlling and / or monitoring the recycling system.

11. 1. An apparatus for operating a battery recycling process for recycling materials contained in a battery associated with at least one battery identifier, comprising: one or more computing nodes; The method includes the steps of: - providing at least one battery identifier and corresponding material composition data associated with at least one component of the battery to be recycled; determining at least one material identifier package by associating at least one material configuration provided by said material configuration data with at least one material configuration processable by at least one plant; - providing at least one material identifier package usable for recycling batteries, the material identifier package including at least one battery identifier; - operating a product recycling process for recycling materials contained in a product associated with at least one product identifier based on said at least one material identifier package; One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions configured to cause a An apparatus having the above configuration.

12. Use of a battery having at least one battery identifier in a method according to claim 1 or 2 or in a device according to claim 11.

13. 3. Use of a material identifier package produced by the method of claim 1 or 2 to sort, collect, transport, store and / or recycle at least one component of a battery to be recycled.

14. 11. A method for sorting, collecting, transporting, storing and / or recycling at least one component of a battery to be recycled, comprising the following steps: providing at least one material identifier package according to the method of claim 1 or 2; operating a recycling process based on the at least one material identifier package by generating sorting, collecting, transporting, storing and / or recycling instructions based on the provided material identifier package; and providing sorting, collecting, transporting, storing and / or recycling instructions for monitoring and / or controlling the recycling system.

15. A computer element having instructions configured, when executed by at least one computing node of a computing environment, to perform the steps of the method according to claim 1 or 2 or to perform the steps provided by the apparatus according to claim 11.

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