Battery Electrode Recycling by Induction Delamination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current recycling methods for lithium-ion battery electrodes are inefficient, require toxic solvents, generate high energy consumption, and result in low recovery rates and high costs, failing to produce recyclable materials with the purity and integrity needed for direct reuse in new batteries.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing high-frequency induction heating to delaminate active materials from current collectors at temperatures below 250°C, avoiding organic solvents and maintaining the integrity of the current collectors, enabling a dry and scalable process for recovering high-purity electrode materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If solvent-based electrode recovery is used, then active materials can be separated from current collectors, but toxic solvents are required and current collector corrosion occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces chemical separation methods (solvent-based) with a mechanical/physical method (induction heating). The induction heating system uses electromagnetic fields to heat and delaminate active materials from current collectors without requiring toxic solvents, thereby eliminating corrosion while maintaining separation efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the separation mechanism from chemical dissolution to thermal delamination through induction heating. By controlling temperature parameters and heating time, the process achieves effective separation without the harmful chemical reactions that cause corrosion
2Manufacturing precision
If thermal binder removal is used, then active materials can be separated from current collectors, but high energy consumption is required
Solution Approach 1:
The induction heating system applies energy locally and selectively to specific regions where active materials need to be separated from current collectors. This localized heating approach reduces overall energy consumption compared to conventional thermal binder removal that requires heating entire batches to high temperatures for extended periods
Solution Approach 2:
The process utilizes phase transitions (heating to delaminate and separate materials) but controls them efficiently through induction heating, avoiding the excessive energy input required by traditional thermal methods while achieving the necessary separation
3Quantity of substance
If conventional separation processes are used, then active materials can be recovered, but recovery rates are low and costs are high
Solution Approach 1:
The induction heating process efficiently extracts and separates active materials from current collectors in a single step, achieving high recovery rates (95-98%). This eliminates the need for multiple sequential separation processes, thereby reducing both complexity and cost while improving recovery efficiency
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 achieves a recovery rate of 95-98% of the original material performance, reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions while producing recyclable materials suitable for direct reuse in new lithium-ion batteries.
Implementation Method 1
inductively heating the electrodes for a time sufficient to delaminate active material from current collectors underlying the active material
Implementation Method 2
A method utilizing high-frequency induction heating to delaminate active materials from current collectors
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides a method for recycling electrodes, the method comprising inductively heating the electrodes for a time sufficient to delaminate active material from current collectors underlying the active material. The invented process utilizes high frequency induction heating, which is a form of noncontact heating generated by the application of an electromagnetic field. The invention also provides a system for separating active material from current collectors of electrodes, the system comprising a particle transport mechanism enclosed in a housing; a first entry port for inserting electrodes into the housing and a second entry port for removing electrode components from the housing; and an inductive energy applicator for heating primarily interfaces comprising surfaces of the active material and surfaces of the current collectors opposing those active material surfaces.