Froth Flotation Separation of Lead Compounds and Carbon in Battery Recycling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current recycling methods for electrochemical cells and batteries, particularly pyrometallurgical processes, are energy-intensive, environmentally detrimental due to carbon dioxide emissions, and render carbon inactive, making it unsuitable for reuse in new batteries.
Innovation Solution
Froth flotation technology is used to separate lead compounds and carbon from spent batteries, avoiding pyrometallurgical operations and allowing for the direct reuse of recycled materials in new battery manufacture, reducing environmental impact and costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If pyrometallurgical processes are used to recycle batteries, then lead compounds can be recovered, but energy consumption increases and carbon dioxide emissions occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes carbon from the battery paste before processing. By eliminating carbon through flotation separation, the subsequent pyrometallurgical process requires less energy and produces fewer emissions, as carbon would otherwise consume energy during combustion and generate CO2. This pre-extraction step directly addresses the energy consumption problem while preserving lead compound recovery.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary carbon removal through flotation separation before the main pyrometallurgical processing. This preliminary action prepares the material by removing problematic carbon content, thereby reducing the energy intensity and environmental impact of the subsequent lead recovery operations without compromising the quantity of lead compounds recovered.
2Quantity of substance
If pyrometallurgical processes are used to recycle batteries, then lead compounds can be recovered, but carbon dioxide emissions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes carbon from the battery paste before processing. By eliminating carbon through flotation separation, the subsequent pyrometallurgical process generates fewer CO2 emissions, as carbon would otherwise combust during high-temperature processing. This pre-extraction step directly addresses the emissions problem while preserving lead compound recovery.
3Quantity of substance
If pyrometallurgical processes are used to recycle batteries, then lead compounds can be recovered, but the process becomes costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes carbon from the battery paste before processing. By eliminating carbon through flotation separation, the subsequent pyrometallurgical process becomes more cost-effective, as less energy is consumed and fewer emissions are generated. This pre-extraction step directly addresses the cost problem by reducing the burden on downstream processing operations.
4Stability of the object's composition
If carbon is present in batteries during recycling, then the material composition is maintained, but leaching and separation processes become less effective
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes carbon from the battery paste using flotation separation. By eliminating carbon before leaching and separation processes, the effectiveness of these operations is significantly improved. Carbon removal prevents interference with chemical reagents and enhances the precision of metal separation, directly addressing the manufacturing precision problem while maintaining the ability to recover lead compounds.
5Stability of the object's composition
If carbon is present in batteries during recycling, then the material composition is maintained, but carbon can be contaminated by reagents making disposal difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes carbon from the battery paste using flotation separation before any chemical processing. By eliminating carbon prior to contact with reagents, contamination is prevented and disposal becomes straightforward. This pre-extraction step directly addresses the harmful factors problem by removing the substance that would otherwise become contaminated and difficult to dispose of.
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
Froth flotation effectively separates lead compounds and carbon, enabling their reuse in battery production without pyrometallurgical processing, thus reducing energy consumption and environmental harm while lowering production costs.
Implementation Method 1
Froth flotation technology is used to separate lead compounds and carbon from spent batteries
Implementation Method 2
Polymeric materials used in the cell casing are removed from the crushed batteries by a sink/float operation in which the low density plastics are floated away from the other materials due to density differences
Data Source
AI summary
Methods for separating and recycling battery and electrochemical cell materials are disclosed.