Lithium Battery Recycling via Vacuum Drying Before Shredding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for processing used lithium batteries often result in contaminated materials due to plastic degradation, high hazard potential, complex structures for partial load operation, and the risk of flammable or explosive gas formation, which complicates safe transportation and recycling.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the drying of lithium battery components under vacuum to remove electrolytes, preventing electrochemical reactions and reducing the risk of flammable gas formation, thereby creating a safer and more inert material for transportation and recycling, without the need for additional inactivation materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If batteries are heated before comminution to destroy plastic components, then plastic is destroyed, but the remaining battery components become contaminated with plastic degradation products
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the electrolyte from the battery components before comminution through vacuum drying. This prevents the electrolyte from interfering with subsequent processing steps and avoids contamination of metal components, thereby maintaining material purity without requiring high-temperature heating that would degrade plastics
2Object-affected harmful factors
If batteries are crushed under inert gas and dusted with deactivation powder to prevent spontaneous ignition, then ignition risk is reduced, but the dusting powder poses an explosion risk and the material retains high hazard potential
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs vacuum drying before comminution to remove electrolyte in advance. This preliminary removal of the reactive electrolyte component eliminates the basis for spontaneous ignition and hazardous reactions, making the subsequent crushing operation inherently safer without requiring additional deactivation powders that could create explosion risks
3Productivity
If a complex system with multiple processing steps is used to efficiently recycle large quantities of galvanic cells, then recycling efficiency is improved, but the system becomes complex in design for partial-load operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the operating parameters by using vacuum drying instead of conventional heating or chemical treatment. This single parameter change (using vacuum to remove electrolyte) simplifies the system design while maintaining high recycling efficiency, and the system can easily adapt to partial-load operation without requiring complex control mechanisms
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 reduces the hazard potential of lithium battery components, ensuring safe transportation and increasing the purity of materials for subsequent recycling steps by eliminating organic carbonates and preventing the formation of toxic fluorophosphates, thus enhancing the safety and efficiency of the recycling process.
Implementation Method 1
drying removes so much electrolyte from the material being ground that an electrochemical reaction is no longer possible or only possible to a negligible extent
Implementation Method 2
drying of the comminuted material in a vacuum
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for treating used batteries (10), in particular lithium batteries, comprising the steps of: shredding the batteries (10) to obtain shredded material (24), inactivating the shredded material (24) to obtain inactivated shredded material (42), and filling the inactivated shredded material (42) into a transport container (46). According to the invention, the inactivation is carried out by drying the shredded material (24).