Recycled Cathode Material Composition Without High-Temperature Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional recycling methods for lithium-ion batteries require high-temperature processes to separate cobalt, manganese, nickel, and lithium, which are energy-intensive and costly, and cannot effectively recover transition metals for reuse in new cathode materials without expensive organic reagents.
Innovation Solution
A low-temperature solution is developed that maintains cobalt, nickel, and manganese in a commingled state during precipitation, allowing for the adjustment of their ratios to form recycled cathode materials without breaking down or recombining them, using sodium hydroxide to raise the pH and precipitate the desired materials, and incorporating additional pure materials to achieve the desired composition for new lithium-ion batteries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If conventional high-temperature separation processes are used to extract cobalt, nickel, and manganese from spent lithium-ion batteries, then the useful elements can be recovered, but the energy consumption and processing costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the temperature parameter from high-temperature thermal decomposition to low-temperature aqueous chemistry. By using aqueous acid solutions to dissolve the cathode materials at low temperatures, the process avoids the energy-intensive high-temperature steps while still achieving effective extraction of cobalt, nickel, and manganese through solution chemistry
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces aqueous acid solutions as an intermediary medium to facilitate the extraction process. Instead of directly heating and thermally decomposing the cathode materials, the acids act as intermediaries that dissolve the materials at low temperatures, enabling subsequent separation and recovery of metal elements without high energy input
2Loss of substance
If conventional methods separate cobalt, nickel, and manganese into individual compounds, then pure materials are obtained, but the process complexity and cost increase due to multiple separation steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the separation process by maintaining cobalt, nickel, and manganese in a commingled state in aqueous solution. Instead of separating them into individual compounds through multiple steps, the process combines them in a single aqueous phase where they can be simultaneously handled and later recovered together, significantly reducing process complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by not separating the metals during extraction but rather keeping them together in solution. The usual sequence of separate isolation steps is replaced by a unified aqueous treatment that preserves the commingled state, and purity is achieved in the final recovery stage rather than through intermediate separations
3Manufacturing precision
If high-temperature processing is used to separate and recombine materials for new cathode, then complete separation is achieved, but the processing time and energy costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the temperature parameter from high to low, enabling the separation process to proceed rapidly at ambient or near-ambient temperatures. The aqueous chemistry reactions occur quickly without the need for prolonged high-temperature heating, dramatically reducing processing time while achieving complete separation of materials through solution chemistry
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces thermal-mechanical processing with chemical processing in aqueous solutions. Instead of using high-temperature thermal energy to drive separation and recombination, the process uses chemical dissolution and precipitation reactions that proceed rapidly at low temperatures, substituting chemical mechanisms for thermal-mechanical ones to reduce processing time
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
This approach reduces energy consumption and costs, achieves high recovery efficiency, and provides a lucrative outlet for battery manufacturers by producing active cathode materials suitable for new batteries, addressing the environmental and resource concerns associated with lithium-ion battery recycling.
Implementation Method 1
A strong base, such as sodium hydroxide, raises the pH such that the desired materials precipitate out of solution
Implementation Method 2
A strong base, such as sodium hydroxide, raises the pH such that the desired materials precipitate out of solution
Data Source
AI summary
Cathode material from exhausted lithium ion batteries are dissolved in a solution for extracting the useful elements Co (cobalt), Ni (nickel), Al (Aluminum) and Mn (manganese) to produce active cathode materials for new batteries. The solution includes compounds of desirable materials such as cobalt, nickel, aluminum and manganese dissolved as compounds from the exhausted cathode material of spent cells. Depending on a desired proportion, or ratio, of the desired materials, raw materials are added to the solution to achieve the desired ratio of the commingled compounds for the recycled cathode material for new cells. The desired materials precipitate out of solution without extensive heating or separation of the desired materials into individual compounds or elements. The resulting active cathode material has the predetermined ratio for use in new cells, and avoids high heat typically required to separate the useful elements because the desired materials remain commingled in solution.