Lithium-First LIB Recycling Using Nitration and Roasting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lithium-ion battery recycling methods focus on recovering other node metals first, resulting in significant lithium loss as impurities and lower lithium recovery yields, environmental risks, and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A lithium-first recycling approach where lithium is recovered before other node metals, involving nitration, roasting, and lithium trapping to separate and recover lithium from black mass, producing multi-metal-oxides as a byproduct.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If other node metals are recovered first from black mass, then the recovery process follows conventional methodology, but lithium is lost as impurities and recovery yield decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional recovery sequence by extracting lithium first before recovering other node metals. This is achieved through selective leaching processes that target lithium compounds while leaving other metals in the solid residue, thereby preventing lithium loss as impurity in subsequent metal recoveries and significantly improving lithium recovery yield
Solution Approach 2:
The recovery process is segmented into distinct stages: first lithium extraction through selective leaching, then separate recovery of other node metals from the remaining residue. This segmentation allows optimized processing conditions for each metal type and prevents cross-contamination that would occur in a simultaneous recovery approach
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional recycling methods are used, then processing follows established procedures, but environmental risks increase and inefficiencies occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs parameter changes in the form of selective leaching conditions (pH, temperature, reagent concentration) that enable lithium extraction at optimized settings different from conventional methods. These parameter adjustments improve process efficiency while reducing harmful byproducts and environmental impact through more controlled and selective chemical reactions
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
Increases lithium recovery rates, enhances the purity of remaining metals, reduces environmental impact, and enables more efficient and cost-effective recycling processes.
Implementation Method 1
treating the black mass with nitric acid (HNO3) to dissolve the lithium and one or more other node metals to form a solution
Implementation Method 2
roasting, with the roasting comprising applying heat to the solution for a period of time to form a lithium-free metal-oxides from the other node metals
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are approaches for recycling LIBs where lithium is recovered before the other node metals in order to increase the amount of lithium recovered. For such approaches, the other node metals need not be further refined or recovered and, despite the small loss of these other node metals as impurities in the first-recovered lithium, the available alternative dispositions for these other node metals—such as in the form of multi-metal-oxides (MMO)—can render the recovery of lithium before the other node metals to be advantageous. Several such approaches may feature nitration, roasting, lithium trapping, and/or other innovative features to facilitate greater and purer recoveries of the target LIB components.