Regenerated Cathode Active Material with Layered Structure Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery recycling methods face challenges such as low recovery rate and purity of black powder, complex processes, and high time and cost requirements, which hinder efficient recycling of valuable metals from waste batteries.
Innovation Solution
A regenerated cathode active material with a core-shell structure is developed, where the cathode active material is formed in a layered structure through solvent treatment and heating firing, achieving a mole fraction of 96% or more. This is achieved by efficiently separating the cathode active material from waste batteries using a solvent-induced volume change, which contracts and relaxes the binder, thereby preserving the layered structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If conventional hydrometallurgy, leaching, and solvent extraction processes are used to recover lithium from waste electrode materials, then lithium can be extracted, but lithium recovery efficiency is poor and environmental problems occur due to lithium remaining in discharged wastewater
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts lithium from waste cathode materials through a direct heating treatment process without using conventional hydrometallurgy or solvent extraction. The lithium is separated from the waste material by thermal decomposition and subsequent filtration, eliminating the need for large volumes of chemical solvents and preventing lithium contamination of wastewater.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the chemical-based extraction system (hydrometallurgy, leaching, solvent extraction) with a thermal-based system (heating treatment at 400-800°C). This substitution eliminates the need for chemical solvents and the complex multi-step separation processes, directly addressing both the low recovery efficiency and environmental pollution issues.
2Ease of manufacture
If only a physical screening process is performed for a short time in the pretreatment process, then the process is simple, but the cathode active material in black powder maintains the existing layered structure or shows local deterioration, resulting in low recovery rate and purity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary heating treatment on the black powder before the main cathode material recovery process. This pre-treatment step decomposes organic binders and stabilizes the cathode active material structure in advance, preventing deterioration during subsequent processing and improving both recovery rate and purity without adding significant process complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical-chemical parameters of the black powder through controlled heating at 400-800°C, transforming the material from a deteriorated state to a stabilized state with improved crystallinity and structure. This parameter change enables higher recovery rates and purity while maintaining process simplicity.
3Loss of substance
If conventional recycling methods with multiple separation and refinement steps are used, then valuable metals can be recovered, but the process is complicated requiring a lot of time and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple conventional separation and refinement steps into a single integrated heating treatment process. By combining thermal decomposition, phase separation, and material stabilization into one step, the patent achieves valuable metal recovery without the time and cost penalties of multi-step processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating treatment process serves multiple functions simultaneously: it decomposes organic binders, stabilizes the cathode active material structure, separates lithium from other components, and prepares the material for subsequent processing. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate operations, reducing both time and cost while maintaining effective metal recovery.
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 regenerated cathode active material exhibits excellent physical properties such as high initial capacity, extended lifespan, improved electrochemical properties, and enhanced particle strength, while also reducing the residual lithium by-product content to less than 1.5% by weight.
Implementation Method 1
A regenerated cathode active material with a core-shell structure is developed, where the cathode active material is formed in a layered structure through solvent treatment and heating firing, achieving a mole fraction of 96% or more. This is achieved by efficiently separating the cathode active material from waste batteries using a solvent-induced volume change, which contracts and relaxes the binder, thereby preserving the layered structure.
Implementation Method 2
A regenerated cathode active material with a core-shell structure is developed, where the cathode active material is formed in a layered structure through solvent treatment and heating firing treatment
Data Source
AI summary
An embodiment regenerated cathode active material includes a first core region including a cathode active material in a layered crystal structure and a second core region enveloping a portion of the first core region, wherein the regenerated cathode active material has a first mole fraction of particles in the layered crystal structure of 0.96 to 1, has a second mole fraction of particles in a rock salt crystal structure of 0 to 0.02, and has a third mole fraction of particles in a spinel crystal structure of 0 to 0.02 based on the total cathode active material.