Battery Resource Sorting via Thermal, Magnetic, and Wind Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing techniques for recovering valuable resources from lithium ion secondary batteries, such as aluminum and copper, face challenges in achieving high grade and recovery rate due to disturbances in airflow sorting caused by magnetically attractable materials and large particle diameters.
Innovation Solution
A sorting method that includes a thermal treatment step to melt aluminum, a pulverizing step to process the treated product, a magnetic sorting step to separate magnetically attractable materials, and a wind force sorting step to further separate valuable resources like aluminum and copper.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If thermal treatment is performed to melt aluminum, then aluminum separation is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent controls thermal treatment parameters (temperature range of 600-800°C, heating rate of 5-10°C/min, treatment time of 1-3 hours) to achieve aluminum melting and separation while minimizing energy consumption. By precisely controlling these parameters, the process melts aluminum sufficiently for separation without excessive energy input.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the phase transition of aluminum from solid to liquid state through controlled heating. The thermal treatment step specifically targets aluminum's melting point range to separate it from other battery components, leveraging this natural phase change to achieve separation without requiring mechanical force or additional chemicals.
2Productivity
If multiple sorting steps are added to improve recovery rate, then valuable resource recovery is improved, but process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the sorting process into four distinct sequential steps: thermal treatment, pulverizing, magnetic sorting, and wind force sorting. Each step targets specific materials based on their physical properties, progressively separating valuable resources from battery waste. This segmentation allows for systematic recovery of different materials (aluminum, copper, ferromagnetic materials) with high recovery rates while maintaining clear process control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes physical parameters of materials at different process stages to enable separation. Thermal treatment changes aluminum's physical state (melting), pulverizing changes particle size distribution, magnetic sorting exploits magnetic susceptibility differences, and wind force sorting utilizes density and aerodynamic property differences. These parameter changes enable efficient multi-material recovery without requiring overly complex equipment.
3Manufacturing precision
If wind force sorting is used to separate aluminum and copper, then separation accuracy is improved, but airflow disturbances from magnetically attractable materials reduce efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs magnetic sorting before wind force sorting to remove ferromagnetic materials (iron, nickel, cobalt) from the mixture. This preliminary action eliminates the source of airflow disturbances that would interfere with the subsequent wind force sorting of aluminum and copper. By removing these interfering materials first, the wind force sorting step can operate efficiently with minimal airflow disruption, maintaining both high separation accuracy and productivity.
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
The method effectively recovers valuable resources with high grade and high recovery rate by minimizing disturbances during airflow sorting and improving the separation accuracy between aluminum and copper.
Implementation Method 1
a thermal treatment step of thermally treating a target containing valuable resources, to melt aluminum and separate a melt
Implementation Method 2
a magnetic sorting step of sorting the valuable resources from the pulverized product by a magnetic force
Implementation Method 3
a wind force sorting step of sorting one valuable resource from another valuable resource in the valuable resources by a wind force
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a sorting method for valuable resources, including a thermal treatment step of thermally treating a target containing valuable resources, to melt aluminum and separate a melt, a pulverizing step of pulverizing a thermally treated product remaining after the melt is separated, to obtain a pulverized product, a magnetic sorting step of sorting the valuable resources from the pulverized product by a magnetic force, and a wind force sorting step of sorting one valuable resource from another valuable resource in the valuable resources by a wind force.