Spent Cathode Recycling via Flame-Assisted Spray Pyrolysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cathode recycling processes for Li-ion batteries are energy-intensive, costly, and environmentally impactful, with limitations in material recovery and throughput, posing challenges for sustainable production of electric vehicle batteries.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of Flame-Assisted Spray Pyrolysis Technology (FAST) for direct recycling of spent cathode materials, which involves grinding, leaching, jet-milling, and spray pyrolysis to produce high-quality, industrial-grade cathode materials with reduced energy consumption and environmental footprint.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If conventional pyrometallurgy or hydrometallurgy is used for cathode recycling, then material recovery is achieved, but energy consumption and process cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional thermal processing (pyrometallurgy) and complex chemical processing (hydrometallurgy) with a mechanical jet-milling system that uses high-velocity gas streams to achieve both size reduction and contaminant removal. This mechanical substitution dramatically reduces energy consumption while maintaining effective material recovery
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the processing parameters from high-temperature thermal fields to controlled high-velocity gas flow fields. By adjusting gas velocity, pressure, and composition rather than temperature and residence time, the process achieves contaminant removal and particle size reduction with lower energy input
2Loss of substance
If conventional recycling processes are used, then cathode materials are recovered, but processing time and throughput are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The jet-milling system operates as a continuous process where spent cathode material is continuously fed, ground, and processed through the high-velocity gas stream. This eliminates batch processing interruptions and enables sustained high throughput while maintaining consistent material recovery quality
Solution Approach 2:
The complex multi-step conventional recycling process is segmented into a single integrated jet-milling operation that simultaneously achieves size reduction, contaminant removal, and material recovery. This consolidation eliminates intermediate processing steps and increases overall productivity
3Manufacturing precision
If traditional synthesis methods are used for cathode materials, then high-quality materials are produced, but multiple slow and energy-intensive steps are required
Solution Approach 1:
The jet-milling process performs preliminary size reduction and contaminant removal during the recycling operation itself, eliminating the need for separate pre-treatment and preparation steps before synthesis. This preliminary action enables direct reuse of recovered materials with minimal additional processing
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges multiple conventional synthesis steps (grinding, sorting, pre-treatment, and synthesis) into a single integrated jet-milling process. This consolidation maintains material quality through controlled processing while dramatically increasing production throughput by eliminating sequential step dependencies
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
FAST enables faster, more efficient recycling with lower energy consumption, producing cathode materials with equal or superior electrochemical performance to commercial standards, and facilitates on-site recycling with potential for scalable, cost-effective mass production.
Implementation Method 1
sifting the powders into a hot stream of air which heats the powders, burning off all contaminants
Implementation Method 2
dispersed into leaching solution which works to dissolve metal oxides to create an acidic metal solution
Implementation Method 3
directed to a suitable mill, such as a jet-mill, or a series of jet-mills. The mill(s) grind the spent secondary cathode powder into nano-sized primary particles
Implementation Method 4
the final precursor solution may then undergo spray pyrolysis by being pumped into the spray chamber along with compressed air, where it is dried and calcinated
Implementation Method 5
through a flame heating zone to achieve final well calcined materials
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for direct recycling and upcycling of spent cathode materials using Flame-Assisted Spray Pyrolysis Technology (FAST). In illustrative embodiments, cathode layers are separated and collected from spent battery cells. The cathode laminate is ground to a powdered form and treated to remove contaminants by sifting into a hot stream of air which heats the powders, burning off contaminants. After cooling and particle collection, the powders may be dispersed into leaching solution to dissolve metal oxides and create an acid metal solution or ground into nano-sized primary particles and mixed with dispersing liquids to form a solution. The solution may be mixed with glycerol and additional metal salts to create a final precursor solution, which may undergo spray pyrolysis followed by drying and calcination to create cathode materials with high consistency and repeatability, or mixed with an alkaline metal salt solution and undergo electrodeposition to recover desired metal salts.