Positive Electrode Scrap Recovery with Lithium Replenishment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for recovering positive electrode active materials from lithium secondary battery scraps are environmentally unfriendly, costly, and inefficient, often leading to the loss of lithium and requiring complex processes that degrade the material's performance.
Innovation Solution
A method involving heat treatment to separate the current collector from the active material layer, followed by washing with a lithium compound solution, adding a lithium precursor, and optional surface coating to restore the active material's properties, without using acids or toxic solvents, ensuring minimal lithium loss and maintaining electrochemical performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If acid dissolution method is used to extract active material elements, then active material elements can be recovered, but the process becomes environmentally harmful and requires costly neutralization and wastewater treatment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful acid dissolution process into a beneficial direct reuse process. Instead of using acids to dissolve and extract active material elements (which creates wastewater and requires neutralization), the invention directly reuses the positive electrode active material after simple separation from the current collector, transforming a harmful process into an environmentally friendly one while still achieving recovery of valuable materials
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts only the necessary component (positive electrode active material) from the positive electrode scrap by separating it from the current collector, without performing full dissolution and extraction of individual elements. This selective extraction approach avoids the environmental harms of acid dissolution while still recovering the valuable active material for reuse
2Loss of substance
If acid dissolution method is used to extract active material elements, then active material elements can be recovered, but process cost increases due to neutralization and wastewater treatment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the costly neutralization and wastewater treatment steps by completely avoiding acid dissolution. The direct reuse method transforms an expensive multi-step process into a simple, low-cost separation and reuse process, maintaining recovery effectiveness while dramatically reducing operational costs
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of following the conventional path of dissolution-extraction-recovery, the patent inverts the approach by directly reusing the intact active material after separation. This inverted methodology eliminates intermediate extraction and purification steps, reducing both complexity and cost
3Ease of manufacture
If positive electrode scrap is discarded after punching, then manufacturing process is simple, but valuable active material is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a recovery system for positive electrode scrap that was previously discarded. By separating the active material from the current collector and reusing it, the invention transforms waste into a valuable resource, reducing material loss while maintaining manufacturing efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the state of the scrap material from discarded waste to reusable resource by performing heat treatment and separation processes. These parameter changes (temperature, physical state) enable the scrap to be transformed into a form suitable for reuse, eliminating waste while keeping the process efficient
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 allows for eco-friendly, cost-effective recovery of reusable positive electrode active materials with improved capacity and resistance properties, suitable for mass production, while minimizing lithium loss and avoiding the need for neutralization and wastewater treatment processes.
Implementation Method 1
heat treating a positive electrode scrap including a positive electrode active material layer on a current collector in air to thermally decompose a binder and a conductive material in the positive electrode active material layer
Implementation Method 2
adding a lithium precursor to the washed active material and annealing the active material
Data Source
AI summary
A method of recovering an active material from a positive electrode scrap and reusing the active material is provided. The method includes (a) heat treating a positive electrode scrap including a positive electrode active material layer on a current collector in air to thermally decompose a binder and a conductive material in the positive electrode active material layer, separating the current collector from the positive electrode active material layer, and recovering an active material in the positive electrode active material layer, wherein the active material comprises a lithium composite transition metal oxide; (b) washing the recovered active material with a cleaning solution; (c) adding a lithium precursor to the washed active material and annealing the active material; and (d) optionally performing surface coating on the annealed active material and obtaining a reusable active material, wherein an amount of the lithium precursor added in step (c) is determined so that an amount of a remaining lithium compound in the reusable active material is 0.0001 to 1.2 wt %.