Direct Cathode Recycling From Battery Core Sections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lithium-ion battery recycling methods face challenges such as high energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and costly waste treatment due to inefficient recycling processes, particularly in recovering valuable cathode materials like Co, Ni, and Li, which often result in unsuitable cathode materials for re-use and generate waste gases.
Innovation Solution
A scalable direct recycling technique that processes lithium-ion batteries into core sections including anode, cathode, and separator, followed by chemical processing in a solvent to form a homogeneous mixture of cathode materials, allowing for the extraction and relithiation of battery-grade cathode materials without physical separation of anodes and cathodes, thus reducing energy consumption and emissions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If conventional recycling methods are used to recover cathode materials, then valuable materials like Co, Ni, and Li can be recovered, but high energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional high-energy mechanical and thermal recycling processes with a chemical dissolution approach using solvents. The cathode materials are dissolved chemically at lower temperatures, avoiding the high-energy mechanical crushing and thermal treatment required in traditional recycling methods, thus reducing energy consumption while recovering valuable materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the processing parameters by using specific solvents and controlling dissolution conditions (temperature, concentration, time) to achieve material recovery at lower energy inputs. By optimizing these chemical parameters, the process recovers cathode materials efficiently without requiring the high temperatures and energies of conventional methods.
2Loss of substance
If conventional recycling methods are used to recover cathode materials, then valuable materials like Co, Ni, and Li can be recovered, but greenhouse gas emissions and waste treatment costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces high-temperature thermal processes and energy-intensive mechanical operations with chemical dissolution methods. This substitution eliminates or reduces the combustion and high-energy processes that generate greenhouse gases, while still achieving effective recovery of cathode materials through controlled chemical reactions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful effect of requiring high-energy processing into a benefit by using chemical dissolution that operates at lower temperatures. The chemical approach transforms a potentially harmful high-energy process into a low-emission, controlled chemical reaction that achieves the same material recovery goal with minimal environmental impact.
3Loss of substance
If physical separation of anodes and cathodes is performed, then materials can be recovered, but the process becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the separation and recovery steps into a single chemical dissolution process. Instead of physically separating anodes and cathodes through multiple mechanical steps, the solvent selectively dissolves the cathode materials in situ, combining what would be separate operations into one integrated chemical process, thereby reducing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the cathode materials directly from the battery structure through chemical dissolution without requiring physical separation of the electrode components. The solvent selectively dissolves and extracts the cathode active materials, bypassing the need for complex mechanical disassembly and separation equipment.
4Loss of substance
If conventional recycling processes are used, then materials can be recovered, but the cathode materials produced are often unsuitable for re-use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses controlled chemical dissolution parameters (solvent type, concentration, temperature, time) to preserve the crystal structure and electrochemical properties of the recovered cathode materials. By optimizing these parameters, the process produces high-quality materials suitable for direct re-use in new batteries, unlike conventional methods that degrade material quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical crushing and high-temperature processing with gentle chemical dissolution, which preserves the structural integrity and electrochemical performance of the recovered cathode materials. This substitution ensures the recovered materials maintain their suitability for re-use without the degradation caused by harsh mechanical and thermal treatments.
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 method enables efficient recycling of lithium-ion batteries on a large scale, preserving the structure and electrochemical properties of materials, reducing manufacturing costs, and minimizing environmental impact by recovering valuable cathode materials effectively.
Implementation Method 1
The solvent and the electrolyte form an ionic conductive medium
Implementation Method 2
disposing the plurality of core sections into a solvent so as to produce a mixture of cathode materials
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes processing at least one battery into a plurality of core sections. Each core section in the plurality of core sections includes an anode section, a cathode section including a cathode material, a separator section disposed between the anode section and the cathode section, and an electrolyte. The method also includes disposing the plurality of core sections into a solvent so as to produce a mixture of cathode materials from the plurality of core sections. The solvent and the electrolyte form an ionic conductive medium, and the mixture of the cathode materials is characterized by a substantially homogeneous distribution of an active element in the cathode material.