Waste battery disposal method

Abstract

The present invention relates to performing flotation using a mixed solution obtained by mixing process water acquired from a waste battery with fresh water, and comprises the steps of: preparing the process water acquired from the waste battery; mixing the process water and the fresh water so as to manufacture the mixed solution; and performing flotation using the mixed solution, wherein the mixed solution is controlled such that the lithium ion concentration is 1000 mg / L or less.

Description

Disposal method for waste batteries

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for treating waste batteries, and more specifically, to a technology utilizing a circulation process of process water concentrated with ions.

[0002] The present invention claims priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0191925 filed on December 19, 2024, the entire contents of said application incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] Battery demand is rapidly increasing as they are widely used not only in electronic devices such as smartphones and mobile devices but also in electric vehicles. The demand for these batteries is expected to rise further as the demand for electric vehicles increases as the next-generation mode of transportation.

[0004] Since the aforementioned electric vehicle requires a battery with a large electrical capacity, it is installed and used in the vehicle in units of multiple battery cells, modules composed of multiple battery cells, and packs composed of multiple modules. As the usage of the electric vehicle increases rapidly, the amount of waste generated from batteries used in the electric vehicle is also increasing.

[0005] To recover valuable metals that are positive electrode active materials from black powder manufactured for recycling the above battery, a wet smelting and solvent extraction process is performed to recover valuable metals such as lithium (Li), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), and manganese (Mn).

[0006] Specifically, a significant amount of lithium ions is dissolved in the process water used in the DP process for the secondary separation of high-temperature reduction reaction products obtained from the battery. Since the dissolved lithium can have a negative effect on the graphite flotation separation recovery process during the secondary separation, a method is required to develop a circulation process for the process water in which lithium ions are dissolved at a concentration above a certain level.

[0007] Generally, during flotation, ions such as monovalent, divalent, and trivalent ions dissolved in water play an important role in the dispersion and aggregation of particles, and can also affect the stability of bubbles. In this case, dissolved electrolyte ions have a positive effect on flotation by weakening the electrostatic repulsion between particles and bubbles as the concentration increases within a certain range. That is, as the concentration of ions in the solution increases, the electric double layer is compressed, reducing the electrostatic repulsion between particles and causing them to aggregate more easily, thereby increasing the efficiency of flotation.

[0008] However, when the concentration of ions dissolved in water is present at a level ranging from several thousand ppm to several percent, the ions strengthen the bonding of water molecules, causing the viscosity of the solvent and slurry to increase. As the viscosity of the slurry increases, selective flotation separation becomes difficult, and the recovery rate and quality may decrease; therefore, it is necessary to optimize the flotation separation process and develop a process water reuse process to recover high concentrations of lithium ions dissolved in water.

[0009] The technical problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a method for treating waste batteries that can minimize the influence of lithium ions in physicochemical separation, specifically flotation, and improve process efficiency.

[0010] A method for treating waste batteries according to one embodiment of the present invention performs flotation separation using a mixed solution obtained by mixing process water and fresh water obtained from waste batteries, comprising the steps of preparing process water obtained from waste batteries, preparing a mixed solution by mixing the process water and fresh water, and performing flotation separation using the mixed solution, wherein the lithium ion concentration of the mixed solution can be controlled to 1000 mg / L or less.

[0011] In one embodiment, the concentration of aluminum ions in the mixed solution can be controlled to 35 mg / L or less. In one embodiment, the concentration of fluoride ions in the mixed solution can be controlled to 300 mg / L or less.

[0012] In one embodiment, the pH of the mixed solution may be controlled to a range of 12 to 13. In one embodiment, the step of preparing process water obtained from the waste battery may include the step of preparing a slurry containing a reactant recovered from the waste battery, and the step of performing magnetic separation on the slurry.

[0013] In one embodiment, the magnetic material obtained by performing magnetic separation on the slurry may include a dehydration step, a concentrated process water production step, and a wastewater recovery process. In one embodiment, the step of performing magnetic separation on the slurry may perform a plurality of magnetic separations.

[0014] In one embodiment, a step of crushing a magnetic material may be included between the steps of performing the plurality of magnetic separations. In one embodiment, the step of performing the flotation separation may be a step of separating a hydrophilic lithium compound from copper.

[0015] In one embodiment, the step of performing the flotation separation may be a step of recovering hydrophobic graphite. In one embodiment, the step of preparing process water obtained from the waste battery includes a step of preparing a waste battery reactant as a raw material, and the step of preparing the waste battery reactant as a raw material may include a step of crushing the reactant discharged through a high-temperature reduction process and a step of particle size separation of the crushed reactant.

[0016] In one embodiment, the step of crushing the reactant discharged through the high-temperature reduction process may be a step of crushing the reactant to a size of 10 mm or less. In one embodiment, the step of separating the particle size of the crushed reactant may select particles of 5 mm or less.

[0017] In one embodiment, in the step of preparing the process water obtained from the waste battery, the solid-liquid ratio of the reactant / process water may be 10 to 25% by weight. In one embodiment, the method may include the step of circulating a portion of the concentrated process water as process water for performing magnetic separation.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for treating waste batteries can improve process efficiency and the recovery efficiency of valuable metals by recycling wastewater containing high concentrations of lithium, by mixing some fresh water when introducing a non-magnetic slurry recovered through magnetic separation into a flotation separation process, thereby controlling the concentration of lithium ions in the process water and recycling the process water.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the process water circulation within a screening process according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 is a graph of graphite flotation separation according to the concentration of dissolved ions in the process water.

[0021] Terms such as first, second, and third are used to describe various parts, components, regions, layers, and / or sections, but are not limited thereto. These terms are used solely to distinguish one part, component, region, layer, or section from another part, component, region, layer, or section. Accordingly, the first part, component, region, layer, or section described below may be referred to as the second part, component, region, layer, or section without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0022] The technical terms used herein are for the reference of specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the invention. The singular forms used herein include plural forms unless phrases clearly indicate otherwise. As used in the specification, the meaning of "comprising" specifies certain characteristics, areas, integers, steps, actions, elements, and / or components, and does not exclude the presence or addition of other characteristics, areas, integers, steps, actions, elements, and / or components.

[0023] When it is stated that one part is "on" or "on" another part, it may be directly on or on the other part, or another part may be involved in between. In contrast, when it is stated that one part is "directly on" another part, no other part is interposed in between.

[0024] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are further interpreted to have meanings consistent with relevant technical literature and the present disclosure, and are not interpreted in an ideal or highly formal sense unless otherwise defined.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the process water circulation within a screening process according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 1, a method for treating waste batteries according to one embodiment involves performing flotation separation using a mixed solution obtained by mixing process water and fresh water obtained from waste batteries. The method for treating waste batteries can separate valuable metal alloys containing nickel, cobalt, or manganese, lithium compounds, and graphite from high-temperature reduction reaction products obtained from waste batteries, which are raw materials, through physical separation, specifically magnetic separation, and physical / chemical separation, specifically flotation separation. In the secondary separation process, it can be confirmed that some lithium compounds are dissolved in the water used in the wet separation process. The inventors have confirmed that in the case of physical separation, specifically magnetic separation, the concentration of lithium ions in the process water does not affect the separation efficiency, but in the case of physicochemical separation, specifically flotation separation, the concentration of lithium ions affects the separation efficiency.

[0027] Accordingly, it was confirmed that when the non-magnetic product slurry recovered through magnetic separation after the input of raw materials is fed into the flotation separation process, the process water can be reused to perform flotation separation by diluting it with some fresh water to maintain the concentration of lithium ions in the mixed solution at 1000 mg / L or less.

[0028] In one embodiment, the waste battery treatment method of the present invention comprises the steps of preparing process water obtained from the waste battery, mixing the process water and fresh water to prepare a mixed solution, and performing flotation separation using the mixed solution.

[0029] The step of preparing process water obtained from the above-mentioned waste battery includes the step of manufacturing a waste battery reactant, which is a raw material. The step of manufacturing the waste battery reactant, which is a raw material, may include the step of crushing the reactant discharged through a high-temperature reduction process and the step of separating the particle size of the crushed reactant.

[0030] In the step of manufacturing the waste battery reactant, which is the raw material, the waste battery reactant may be the result of crushing or crushing a cell containing a plurality of lithium-ion batteries, a module containing a plurality of cells, or a pack containing a plurality of modules, after the cell containing a plurality of lithium-ion batteries is recovered from the waste battery, and then performing a reduction heat treatment on the crushed material at a high temperature. Specifically, the waste battery may include end-of-life battery cells, positive electrode materials such as scrap, jelly rolls, and slurries constituting the waste battery, defective products generated during the manufacturing process, residues inside the manufacturing process, and by-products such as generated debris.

[0031] The above waste battery reactant may be a reactant that has undergone a step of grinding or crushing. Specifically, the grinding or crushing step may be a step of crushing the waste battery by applying physical or mechanical force and a step of finely grinding it into powder.

[0032] Specifically, the step of crushing the battery may be a crushing method using at least one of shearing, compression, and tensile force. Specifically, the crushing step may be performed by, for example, at least one of a hammer mill, a ball mill, and a stirred ball mill. The hammer mill may perform at least one step of disassembly, punching, and milling, and various types of crushing or grinding devices, such as industrial grinders, may be utilized as non-limiting examples. The step of crushing the waste battery may separate some large impurities among the impurities contained in the waste battery, such as aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and plastic.

[0033] In one embodiment, the crushing step may be performed such that the size of the waste battery crushed material is 100 mm or less. Specifically, the size of the waste battery crushed material may be 80 mm or less, more specifically, 50 mm or less. When the size of the waste battery crushed material satisfies the aforementioned range, there is an advantage of excellent process energy efficiency, and when the size of the battery crushed material is larger than the aforementioned range, there is an uneconomical problem due to excessive energy supply during the heat treatment step.

[0034] In one embodiment, prior to the step of crushing the waste battery, a pretreatment step for preventing explosion or detoxifying the base material of the crushed battery may be included. By including the pretreatment step, the waste battery treatment method removes explosive substances, such as electrolytes within the base material, and by discharging the base material, such as the waste battery, it is possible to increase safety and improve the recovery of valuable metals and graphite and productivity when proceeding with the crushing step.

[0035] The step of performing a reduction heat treatment on the crushed waste battery at a high temperature may be a step of dry heat treatment on the crushed waste battery. Specifically, the step of dry heat treatment may be a step of introducing the crushed waste battery into a high-temperature reduction furnace capable of raising the temperature to a high temperature to perform a high-temperature reduction reaction of the crushed waste battery. To perform the step of dry heat treatment, the crushed waste battery may be filled into the high-temperature reduction furnace, and then the high-temperature reduction furnace may be heated to apply heat to the crushed waste battery.

[0036] In one embodiment, the dry heat treatment step may be performed at a temperature above which the oxide containing the valuable metal reaches equilibrium and reduction begins. Specifically, the dry heat treatment step may be performed at a temperature above which the oxide containing the valuable metal and the metallic liquid reach equilibrium and reduction begins.

[0037] In one embodiment, the dry heat treatment step may be performed in a temperature range of 800 to 1,500 ℃. Specifically, the temperature range may be 1,000 to 1,500 ℃, more specifically 1,100 to 1,450 ℃. By performing the heat treatment in the above temperature range, a reducing atmosphere can be maintained where the graphite is not completely burned while being treated at a high temperature.

[0038] If the upper limit of the above range is exceeded, there is a problem of loss due to lithium vaporization, and if the lower limit of the above range is exceeded, there is a problem that the sintering and reduction of alloying elements cannot proceed. In this way, within the above temperature range, the carbon within the crushed material can be burned minimally, allowing the reduction reaction to be performed in a state where carbon dioxide generation is almost non-existent.

[0039] In one embodiment, the dry heat treatment step may be performed in a gas atmosphere of at least one of an inert gas, carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and hydrocarbon gas. The gas atmosphere may be one in which the atmosphere introduced through the crushed waste batteries filled in a high-temperature reduction furnace is replaced with the aforementioned gas.

[0040] The above inert gas may include, for example, at least one of argon (Ar), hydrogen (H2), and nitrogen (N2). The above hydrocarbon gas refers to an organic compound composed only of carbon (C) and hydrogen (H), and may refer to, for example, a compound such as methane (CH4). By performing the dry heat treatment step in the aforementioned gas atmosphere, the problem of the quality of the recovered valuable metal being degraded by external gases, such as impurities, can be prevented.

[0041] In one embodiment, the gas atmosphere may include oxygen (O2). In one embodiment, the partial pressure of the oxygen in the gas atmosphere may be supplied at a level greater than the partial pressure of oxygen at which the lithium oxide in the battery crush is reduced. Specifically, the oxygen is included in the gas atmosphere during the dry heat treatment step to react with the graphite in the battery crush to form carbon monoxide, thereby minimizing the emission of carbon dioxide.

[0042] The step of crushing the reactant discharged through the high-temperature reduction process may be a step of crushing the reactant to a size of 10 mm or less. Specifically, the crushing step may crush the reactant to a size of 4 mm or less. By pre-treating the reactant by crushing it, the yield of the subsequent process can be improved.

[0043] The crushing step described above may be performed by at least one of a hammer mill, a ball mill, and a stirred ball mill, for example. The hammer mill may perform at least one step of disassembly, punching, and milling, and various types of crushing or grinding devices, such as industrial grinders, may be utilized as non-limiting examples.

[0044] The step of separating the particle size of the crushed reactant may be a step of selecting particles of 5 mm or less. Specifically, the step of separating the particle size of the crushed reactant may select particles of 2 mm or less to separate impurities such as copper or aluminum with large particle sizes, thereby improving the yield of the subsequent process.

[0045] The above-mentioned particle size separation step can be performed by general particle size separation methods, such as classifiers or meshes, for example. As a non-limiting example, various types of particle size separation devices, such as particle size separators, may be utilized.

[0046] The step of preparing a slurry containing the reactant recovered from the waste battery may involve adding water to the reactant recovered from the waste battery obtained through the aforementioned pretreatment process to prepare a slurry satisfying a predetermined range of slurry concentration. In the step of preparing the process water obtained from the waste battery, the solid-liquid ratio of the reactant to the process water may be 10 to 25% by weight.

[0047] The step of performing magnetic separation on the above slurry may be a step for recovering an alloy containing a valuable metal that is a magnetic body and a non-magnetic body within the slurry. Specifically, the valuable metal may refer to nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn), and lithium (Li).

[0048] The magnetic material may include the aforementioned valuable metal and may be a material alloyed with the aforementioned valuable metal. The material alloyed with the valuable metal may include, for example, a material alloyed with Ni, Co, or Mn and an oxide containing lithium that is combined with said alloyed material. The oxide containing lithium may be, for example, a material such as lithium aluminum oxide, like LiAlO2. The non-magnetic material may be graphite containing carbon and an oxide containing lithium separated from said material alloyed with the valuable metal.

[0049] In one embodiment, the magnetic separation step may be performed in the range of 2,000 to 3,000 Gauss. Specifically, by performing the magnetic separation step, magnetic materials and non-magnetic materials among the reactants recovered from the waste battery can be easily separated, and a separate separation process can be performed for the magnetic materials and the non-magnetic materials. Through this, valuable metals can be easily recovered from the magnetic materials, and graphite can be easily recovered from the non-magnetic materials.

[0050] The magnetic material obtained by performing magnetic separation on the above slurry may undergo a dehydration step, a concentrated process water preparation step, and a wastewater recovery process. The dehydration step may be a step of removing water or solvent remaining on the magnetic material. The dehydration step may be performed by at least one method among hot air drying, vacuum drying, centrifuge drying, filtration, and adsorption, as non-limiting examples. The magnetic material that has undergone the dehydration step can improve the quality of the recovered magnetic material and facilitate storage and transportation.

[0051] The above-mentioned step for manufacturing concentrated process water may be a step of separately recovering highly concentrated process water, excluding the magnetic material that has undergone the above-mentioned dehydration step. By undergoing the aforementioned dehydration step, the concentrated process water may be highly concentrated process water with a significantly high ion concentration.

[0052] The method may include a step of circulating a portion of the concentrated process water as process water for performing magnetic separation. By recirculating a portion of the concentrated process water as process water for magnetic separation, process efficiency and economic feasibility can be secured through recirculation.

[0053] After the above-mentioned step of manufacturing concentrated process water, a wastewater recovery process may be included. The wastewater recovery process may be a process of separately recovering and removing the wastewater after the process is completed.

[0054] The step of preparing a mixed solution by mixing the above-mentioned process water and fresh water can be performed by mixing and diluting the process water used for magnetic separation with fresh water to prepare the mixed solution. By utilizing the above-mentioned mixed solution, a portion of the process water used during magnetic separation can be recycled, thereby improving economic feasibility and process efficiency.

[0055] In one embodiment, the lithium ion concentration of the mixed solution can be controlled to 1000 mg / L or less. As the lithium ion concentration in the mixed solution is controlled to the aforementioned range, the lithium concentrated in the separation process water can be easily recovered, and economic efficiency can be ensured by reusing the process water in the flotation separation process.

[0056] If the lithium ion concentration in the above-mentioned mixed solution is controlled to be higher than the aforementioned range, the flotation separation process cannot be performed smoothly, resulting in a decrease in the efficiency of the flotation separation process and a decrease in the recovery efficiency of the recovered graphite.

[0057] In one embodiment, the concentration of aluminum ions in the mixed solution can be controlled to 35 mg / L or less. In one embodiment, the concentration of fluoride ions in the mixed solution can be controlled to 300 mg / L or less. By controlling the concentrations of the aluminum ions and fluoride ions in the mixed solution to the aforementioned ranges, process water usable in the flotation separation step can be produced.

[0058] In one embodiment, the pH of the mixed solution can be controlled to a range of 12 to 13. As the pH of the mixed solution is controlled to the aforementioned range, it may be easy to recover graphite in the flotation separation step.

[0059] In one embodiment, the method may include a step of performing flotation separation on the non-magnetic material. Specifically, the step of separating hydrophobic graphite from the non-magnetic material may be performed as a flotation separation step. More specifically, the flotation separation step may utilize bubbles generated by blowing air into a pulp in which the reactants are suspended. Specifically, the flotation separation step may be a method in which, due to the air, substances with hydrophobic surfaces within the pulp attach to bubbles and float to the surface, while substances with hydrophilic surfaces within the pulp remain within the pulp.

[0060] The step of performing flotation separation on the above-mentioned non-magnetic material may specifically separate a hydrophilic lithium compound and copper from the above-mentioned non-magnetic material. By separating the hydrophilic material from the hydrophobic material, the recovery rate of valuable metals can be improved.

[0061]

[0062] Preferred embodiments and comparative examples of the present invention are described below. However, the following examples are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[0063]

[0064] <Experimental Example>

[0065] A reactant discharged through a high-temperature reduction process of waste batteries was prepared, and said reactant is black powder comprising large, flat unreacted particles generated from Al cases or cell partitions, an alloy containing nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), or manganese (Mn), a lithium (Li) compound containing lithium and aluminum, and graphite (C).

[0066] The reactant recovered from the above waste battery is processed into particles of 4 mm or less through physical crushing, and the crushed reactant is fixed to a particle size suitable for a wet screening process through particle size separation. Subsequently, particles of approximately 2 mm or larger are removed through sieving, and then a wet screening process is carried out with particles of 2 mm or less. The reactant consists of magnetic and non-magnetic materials containing valuable metals with a particle size distribution of approximately 10 µm to 2 mm, and the solid-liquid ratio of reactant to process water as a raw material for wet screening is fixed at approximately 15% by weight.

[0067] Specifically, to separate NCM alloy, graphite, lithium compounds, copper, etc. from high-temperature reduction reactants, a slurry with a slurry concentration of about 15% (20 kg reactant / 130 kg total) × 100 = 15%, 20 kg of high-temperature reduction reactant + 110 kg of water = Total 130 kg) was prepared and wet beneficiation was performed.

[0068] The above wet beneficiation separation involved performing primary wet magnetic separation at a 15% slurry concentration under 3000 Gauss conditions to recover the magnetic NCM alloy, and subsequently, the primary magnetic product was 33.7 μm (D v (50)) The material was ground to a particle size. Afterwards, secondary wet magnetic separation was performed on the ground material at a slurry concentration of 10% or less and under 3000 Gauss conditions.

[0069] A step of obtaining concentrated process water by further dehydrating and concentrating the process water during the magnetic separation stage, which is a physical process, and a process of recirculating the concentrated process water to perform magnetic separation again or recovering it as wastewater were performed.

[0070] In contrast, flotation separation is performed on the primary non-magnetic product to recover hydrophobic graphite. At this time, for flotation separation, the process water from the magnetic separation step and fresh water were mixed.

[0071] For the above flotation separation, process water and fresh water were mixed to control the ion concentration in the solution as shown in Table 1 below. At this time, the pH of the circulating process water was controlled to a range of 12-13.

[0072] Figure 2 is a graph of graphite flotation separation according to the concentration of dissolved ions in the process water.

[0073] Sample Name Ion Concentration (mg / L, ppm) NiCoMnLiAlSiCuFePVCaNdTiZrBZnMgF - Flotation Separation A Process Number 1 or less 1 or less 1 or less 9 40 30 30 1 or less 1 or less 10 1 or less 11 or less 1 or less 1 or less 20 1 or less 1 or less 29 8 Flotation Separation B Process Number 11 or less 1 or less 30 0 17 0 50 20 1 or less 25 1 or less 5 1 or less 1 or less 1 or less 70 1 or less 31

[0074] Looking at Table 1 and Figure 2 above, it was confirmed that when flotation is performed using process water A, in which the lithium ion concentration (mg / L) is 1000 or less, the aluminum ion concentration (mg / L) is 35, and the fluoride ion concentration (mg / L) is 300 or less, the C grade is 75% or more and the C recovery rate is 80% or more. In contrast, when flotation is performed using process water B, in which the lithium ion concentration (mg / L) is approximately 3000, the aluminum ion concentration (mg / L) is approximately 1700, and the fluoride ion concentration (mg / L) is approximately 1, it was confirmed that the C grade is 65% or less and the C recovery rate is 50% or less.

[0075] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be manufactured in various different forms, and those skilled in the art will understand that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without changing the technical concept or essential features of the invention. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive.

Claims

1. Performing flotation separation using a mixed solution obtained by mixing process water and fresh water obtained from waste batteries, A step of preparing process water obtained from the above waste battery; A step of preparing a mixed solution by mixing the above process water and fresh water; and The method includes the step of performing flotation separation using the above-mentioned mixed solution, The above mixed solution is a method for treating waste batteries in which the lithium ion concentration is controlled to 1000 mg / L or less.

2. In Paragraph 1, The above mixed solution is a method for treating waste batteries in which the concentration of aluminum ions is controlled to 35 mg / L or less.

3. In Paragraph 1, The above mixed solution is a method for treating waste batteries in which the concentration of fluoride ions is controlled to 300 mg / L or less.

4. In Paragraph 1, A method for treating waste batteries in which the pH of the above-mentioned mixed solution is controlled to a range of 12 to 13.

5. In Paragraph 1, The step of preparing process water obtained from the above waste battery is, A step of preparing a slurry comprising a reactant recovered from the above-mentioned waste battery; and A step of performing magnetic separation on the above slurry; A method for manufacturing waste batteries including 6. In Paragraph 5, The magnetic body obtained by performing magnetic separation on the above slurry is, Dehydration stage; Concentrated process water manufacturing step; and Wastewater recovery process; A method for manufacturing waste batteries including 7. In Paragraph 5, The step of performing magnetic separation on the above slurry is: A method for processing waste batteries by performing multiple magnetic separations.

8. In Paragraph 7, A method for processing waste batteries comprising a step of crushing a magnetic material between the steps of performing the plurality of magnetic separations above.

9. In Paragraph 1, A method for treating waste batteries in which the step of performing the above-mentioned flotation separation is a step of separating a hydrophilic lithium compound and copper.

10. In Paragraph 1, A method for treating waste batteries, comprising the step of performing the above-mentioned floating separation and the step of recovering hydrophobic graphite.

11. In Paragraph 1, The step of preparing process water obtained from the above waste battery is, It includes the step of manufacturing a waste battery reactant, which is a raw material, and The step of manufacturing the waste battery reactant, which is the above-mentioned raw material, is: A step of crushing the reactants discharged through a high-temperature reduction process; and Step of separating the particle size of the crushed reactants; A method for disposing of waste batteries including 12. In Paragraph 11, The step of crushing the reactants discharged through the above high-temperature reduction process is A method for treating waste batteries, comprising the step of crushing the above-mentioned reactants to a size of 10 mm or less.

13. In Paragraph 11, The step of separating the particle size of the crushed reactant above is a method for processing waste batteries that selects particles of 5 mm or less.

14. In Paragraph 11, A method for treating waste batteries, wherein in the step of preparing process water obtained from the waste battery, the solid-liquid ratio of the reactant / process water is 10 to 25% by weight.

15. In Paragraph 6, A method for treating waste batteries comprising the step of circulating a portion of the above-mentioned concentrated process water as process water for performing the above-mentioned magnetic separation.

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