Active Material Tracer Composition for Battery Recycling Traceability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for recovering valuable elements from batteries lack sufficient tracking and traceability, making it difficult to comply with emerging recycling regulations that require identification and management of elements like cobalt, nickel, and lithium.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an element X, such as scandium, yttrium, lanthanum, or gadolinium, into the active material to label and enhance the traceability of elements like nickel, cobalt, or lithium, allowing tracking through elemental analysis of the active material's composition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional recovery methods are used to extract valuable elements from batteries, then element recovery is achieved, but tracking and traceability of recovered elements is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces element X as an intermediary tracer substance that mediates between the valuable element M and the tracking system. Element X is added to the active material in known amounts before battery production, and its presence in recovered materials provides verifiable information about the material's origin and recycling history, thereby solving the traceability problem without interfering with the recovery process
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a informational copy of the active material's identity by adding element X as a tracer. This tracer serves as a copy of the material's provenance information, allowing verification of recycling history and origin without requiring complex tracking systems or losing information about the material's journey through the recycling process
2Reliability
If element X is added to active material for tracking purposes, then traceability is improved, but active material composition becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent controls the concentration parameter of element X within specific ranges (0.1-10 wt%, preferably 0.5-5 wt%) to balance traceability effectiveness with material simplicity. By optimizing this parameter, the system achieves reliable tracking while minimizing the impact on active material composition and battery performance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies element X selectively as a tracer component within the active material without altering the fundamental composition and structure of the main active material. This localized addition maintains the functional properties of the active material while providing tracking capability through the presence of element X
3Measurement precision
If element X is used as a tracer, then identification of valuable elements is enhanced, but production process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the tracer addition action in advance during the active material production process, before battery assembly. Element X is incorporated into the active material in controlled amounts during manufacturing, which simplifies subsequent recovery and tracking operations compared to attempting to add tracers after battery use
Solution Approach 2:
Element X serves as an intermediary substance that simplifies the identification process. Instead of developing complex methods to track valuable elements M directly, the system uses element X as a mediator whose presence and concentration provide straightforward information about the material's origin and recycling history through standard analytical techniques
Data Source
AI summary
An active material contains at least one element M selected from the group consisting of nickel, cobalt, manganese, and lithium and an element X different from the element M. The element X comprises at least one member selected from metals of groups 2 and 15 in the second period, metals of groups 3, 11, and 13 to 16 in the fourth period, metals of groups 1 to 3, 7 to 13, and 15 to 17 in the fifth period, metals of groups 1 to 3 and 7 to 17 in the sixth period, and metals of groups 1 to 17 in the seventh period of the periodic table.