Battery Plastic Recovery via Immersion and Dry Comminution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current battery recycling methods face challenges in efficiently separating and recovering plastic materials from lithium-ion batteries, as plastics tend to float and mix with immersion liquids during shredding, leading to contamination and loss of valuable materials, and the complex shapes of plastics hinder effective washing and separation processes.
Innovation Solution
A system and method involving a primary size reduction process under immersion conditions followed by a secondary non-immersion size reduction process, accompanied by mechanical washing and separation stages, to break down plastics and separate them from metal and black mass materials, using a plastic comminuting apparatus and a mechanical washing apparatus to produce a purified plastic stream.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a primary size reduction process under immersion conditions is used, then plastics are liberated from battery materials, but plastics mix with immersion liquids and float, causing contamination and loss of valuable materials
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the size reduction process into two distinct stages: a primary size reduction under immersion conditions to liberate plastics, followed by a secondary size reduction under non-immersion conditions to separate plastics from immersion liquids. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by allowing plastic liberation in the first stage while enabling plastic purification in the second stage.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a secondary non-immersion size reduction apparatus as an intermediary step between the primary immersion process and the final plastic recovery. This intermediary apparatus processes the plastic-rich stream from the first apparatus, removing entrained immersion liquids and metals while preserving the plastics, thus preventing material loss.
2Productivity
If plastics are processed under immersion conditions, then size reduction and liberation occur, but complex plastic shapes hinder effective washing and separation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs a preliminary size reduction of plastics under immersion conditions, breaking them into smaller pieces before the washing and separation stages. This preliminary action reduces the complexity of subsequent washing and separation operations by creating more manageable plastic fragments that are easier to process.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts plastics from the immersion liquid environment in the secondary size reduction apparatus, separating them from the complex mixture of immersion liquids, metals, and plastic fragments. This extraction simplifies the material stream, making subsequent washing and separation operations more effective.
3Device complexity
If a single size reduction process is used, then the process is simple, but plastics mix with metals and black mass materials, reducing separation effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the size reduction and separation process into two distinct apparatuses: a primary apparatus for initial size reduction and liberation under immersion conditions, and a secondary apparatus for further size reduction and separation under non-immersion conditions. This segmentation improves separation purity while maintaining reasonable process complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies different processing conditions to different stages of the process: immersion conditions in the primary apparatus for optimal plastic liberation, and non-immersion conditions in the secondary apparatus for optimal plastic separation. This local quality approach optimizes each stage for its specific function, improving overall separation effectiveness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enhances the recovery of plastic materials by breaking down plastics into smaller pieces, reducing entrained liquids and metals, and ensuring effective separation from other battery components, thereby improving the efficiency and purity of the plastic recovery stream.
Implementation Method 1
heat generated by the first size reduction is absorbed by the immersion liquid
Implementation Method 2
sparking caused by the first size reduction is suppressed
Implementation Method 3
mechanical washing and separation stages, to break down plastics and separate them from metal and black mass materials
Implementation Method 4
A plastic comminuting apparatus and a mechanical washing apparatus to produce a purified plastic stream
Data Source
AI summary
A method of separating plastic material from battery materials can include: a) receiving battery materials in an immersion comminuting apparatus; b) by carrying out at least a first size reduction of the battery materials under immersion to create a primary-reduced metal material, primary-reduced plastic material and liberating a first amount of a black mass material; c) extracting at least a primary plastics slurry from the primary comminuting apparatus, wherein the primary plastics slurry comprises a mixture of the primary-reduced plastic material, a portion of the primary-reduced metal material and a portion of the black mass material liberated by the immersion comminuting apparatus; and d) carrying out a further, second size reduction of the plastic slurry using a non-immersion comminuting apparatus that is downstream from the immersion comminuting apparatus.