Efficient Techniques for Recycling EV Batteries
48 patents in this list
Updated:
Electric vehicle (EV) batteries power the future of transportation, but their end-of-life management poses significant challenges. As EV adoption accelerates, the need for effective battery recycling becomes critical to reclaim valuable materials and reduce environmental impact. The complex chemistry of lithium-ion batteries demands precise techniques to recover elements like lithium, nickel, and cobalt without degrading their quality.
Professionals in the field face hurdles such as the efficient separation of metals, the safe handling of hazardous materials, and the economic viability of recycling processes. The intricate structure of battery cells requires innovative approaches to extract and purify components while minimizing waste and energy consumption.
This page explores a range of recycling methods, from selective leaching and solvent extraction to advanced roasting and precipitation processes. These techniques aim to improve the efficiency and sustainability of battery recycling, ensuring that valuable resources are reused effectively and safely.
1. Method for Extracting and Reconstituting Cathode Elements from Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Ascend Elements, Inc., 2024
Recycling lithium-ion battery cathode materials in a way that allows extracting valuable elements like cobalt, nickel, manganese, and lithium in a form that can be used to make new battery cathodes. The recycling process involves leaching the spent battery materials to extract the desirable elements, precipitating them to form a precursor cathode material, and then adjusting the composition to achieve the desired molar ratios of elements for the new cathode chemistry. The precursor is then calcined and sintered to form the final recycled cathode material. The process allows efficient recovery and reuse of the valuable cathode elements from mixed chemistry batteries, reducing waste and environmental impact.
2. Partial Oxygen Roasting Process for Lithium Recovery from Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries Using Anode Carbon
Ascend Elements, Inc., 2024
Recycling lithium from spent lithium-ion batteries using a partial oxygen roasting process that consumes the existing carbon from the anode material instead of adding additional carbon sources. This allows recovering lithium as lithium carbonate without interfering with the thermal reduction of the cathode material. The partial oxygen roasting activates the anode graphite and prevents complete cathode metal reduction, yielding soluble lower oxidation states. This increases lithium recovery compared to inert or reducing environments.
3. Sulfide Precipitation Method for Selective Metal Recovery from Lithium-Ion Battery Leach Solutions
LI-CYCLE CORP., 2024
A method to recover valuable metals like copper, cobalt, nickel, iron, and cadmium from lithium-ion battery waste using sulfide precipitation. The method involves introducing a sulfide reductant to the leach solution containing the metals to precipitate out metal sulfides. The precipitated sulfides are then separated from the remaining solution to remove the targeted metals. The process allows selective removal of specific metals from the leach stream while avoiding precipitation of other desirable metals like lithium.
4. Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery Recycling with Sequential Alkaline and Acid Leaching and Ion Exchange Process
GREEN LI-ION PTE. LTD., 2024
Recycling method for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries that reduces loss of valuable materials and better handles impurity removal compared to conventional methods. The recycling steps are: 1) Alkaline leaching with high pH to extract valuable materials. 2) Acid leaching to remove impurities like fluorine and copper. 3) Ion exchange to isolate and recover fluorine and copper. 4) Iron precipitation to separate iron. 5) Final pH adjustment to recover lithium.
5. Selective Lithium Extraction Process from High Nickel Content Lithium-Ion Battery Black Mass Using Dilute Sulfuric Acid Leaching
Ascend Elements, Inc., 2024
Recycling lithium from high nickel content lithium-ion batteries like NMC 811 to extract lithium selectively from the black mass of recycled batteries. The process involves leaching lithium from the black mass using a dilute sulfuric acid solution. The lithium is selectively extracted due to the high molar ratio of nickel in the cathode materials. The leaching is done at 60-100°C for 1-6 hours. The lithium sulfate solution is then concentrated, filtered, and crystallized to recover the lithium. The approach avoids over-leaching of nickel and cobalt impurities.
6. Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling via Selective Leaching of Lithium-Rich Slag Post-Smelting
Redwood Materials, Inc., 2023
Recycling lithium-ion batteries to produce high-concentration lithium compounds that can be used to return lithium to the supply chain. The process involves smelting the batteries to oxidize and separate the lithium from other metals. The lithium-rich slag is then leached selectively to extract lithium without co-extracting other elements like aluminum. This allows clean and efficient lithium recovery compared to traditional smelting.
7. Method for Metal Separation from Ternary Lithium Batteries Using Selective Acid Leaching
GUANGDONG BRUNP RECYCLING TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., HUNAN BRUNP RECYCLING TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., HUNAN BRUNP EV RECYCLING CO., LTD., 2023
A method for separating and recovering valuable metals like nickel, cobalt, manganese, and lithium from waste ternary lithium batteries. The method uses a strongly-oxidative selective acid like persulfate to leach the battery powder under acidic conditions. The leaching is done in a way that inhibits cobalt and manganese extraction while allowing nickel and lithium extraction. This separates the metals initially. The leaching residue is then processed separately to extract cobalt and prepare active manganese dioxide.
8. Multi-Stage Lithium Recovery Process from Battery Waste via Evaporation, Crystallization, and Reaction
GREEN LI-ION PTE. LTD., 2023
Recovering lithium from lithium-ion battery waste using a multi-stage process involving evaporation, crystallization, and reaction. The process involves evaporating water from the battery waste stream to concentrate the lithium and sodium. The concentrated stream is then cooled to crystallize out the sodium sulfate. The remaining lithium-rich stream is heated and sodium carbonate is added to react with the lithium and form lithium carbonate. The lithium carbonate is separated from the reaction mixture.
9. Water-Based Lithium Recovery Method from Calcined Lithium-Ion Battery Scrap
JX NIPPON MINING & METALS CORPORATION, 2023
A method to recover lithium from lithium-ion battery scrap using water-based techniques. The steps involve calcining the scrap, dissolving lithium in water, extracting and concentrating the lithium, neutralizing and recovering impurities, and carbonating the lithium concentrate to obtain lithium carbonate. This avoids complex chemical processing steps and enables efficient lithium recovery from the calcined battery scrap.
10. Process for Metal Recovery from Lithium-Ion Battery Waste with Sequential Impurity Removal and Metal Separation
GREEN LI-ION PTE. LTD., 2023
A process for recovering metals from lithium-ion battery waste streams like black mass that optimizes recovery of additional metals beyond nickel and cobalt while efficiently separating out impurities. The process involves purifying the waste stream to remove fluorine, phosphate, and impurity metals like copper, aluminum, iron, and titanium. Nickel, manganese, and cobalt are then separated from the purified stream using co-precipitation or chromatography. Finally, lithium is precipitated from the intermediate stream containing the separated metals.
11. Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Process with Solution Adjustment for Controlled Precipitation of Cathode Material Components
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2023
Recycling lithium-ion batteries to extract valuable materials like cobalt, manganese, nickel, and lithium from spent batteries. The recycling process involves generating a solution of aggregate battery materials from spent cells, precipitating impurities, adjusting the solution to achieve a desired ratio of desirable materials, and then precipitating the desirable material in that ratio to form cathode material for a new battery. The adjustments balance factors like pH, oxidation state, and electrodeposition to remove impurities and collateral remnants from the recycling stream.
12. pH-Controlled Process for Sequential Precipitation of Impurities from Lithium-Ion Battery Leachate
GREEN LI-ION PTE. LTD., 2023
Recycling lithium-ion battery waste more efficiently by extracting impurities from the leaching solution using a simple, pH-controlled process. The process involves lowering the pH to around 1.2-2.15 to precipitate copper, then raising it to around 6 to extract calcium fluoride, titanium hydroxide, aluminium hydroxide, iron hydroxide, and iron phosphate. This allows removal of multiple impurities in a single step instead of multiple stages. The copper precipitation is induced using iron powder. Lime is added after copper removal. This avoids losing valuable metals during impurity removal. The lower pH step also enables higher copper recovery.
13. Method for Lithium Recovery from Battery Scrap via Calcination, Solvent Extraction, and Carbonation
JX NIPPON MINING & METALS CORPORATION, 2023
A method to recover lithium from lithium ion battery scrap that involves optimized steps to efficiently extract lithium from the scrap with higher purity compared to conventional methods. The method includes calcining the scrap, dissolving the lithium in water, concentrating it through solvent extraction and stripping, neutralizing any impurities like nickel, and finally carbonating to obtain lithium carbonate.
14. Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling System with Component Separation via Grinding, Pyrolysis, and Electrostatic Extraction
Comstock IP Holdings LLC, 2023
Recycling lithium-ion batteries by separating their components to recover valuable metals like cobalt, nickel, manganese, and lithium. The recycling process involves grinding and pyrolyzing the batteries, then electrostatic separation to extract graphite, lithium, and metals from the resulting black mass. This allows recycling of critical battery materials in a way that is efficient, safe, and maximizes recovery of valuable metals.
15. Recycling Process for Lithium-Ion Batteries with Trace Element Doping in Leach Solution for Enhanced Cathode Precursor Recovery
Battery Resourcers LLC, 2023
Recycling of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) to recover active cathode materials for use in new batteries. The recycling process involves leaching out cathode materials from spent LIBs, purifying the resulting solution, and then precipitating out recovered cathode precursor particles for sintering into active cathode materials. The improvement is doping the leach solution with small amounts of trace elements like fluorine that increase the percentage of certain oxidation states on the recovered cathode particle surface. This improves battery performance compared to undoped recycled cathodes.
16. Apparatus and Method for Metal Recovery from Lithium-Ion Battery Electrode Scraps via Heat Treatment and Material Separation
LG ENERGY SOLUTION, LTD., 2023
A method and apparatus for recovering and reusing valuable metals from discarded lithium-ion batteries is described. The method involves heat treating discarded electrode scraps to remove binders and separating out the metal-containing active material. The active material is then further processed to improve its properties before reuse.
17. Method for Lithium Extraction from Black Mass of Lithium-Iron Phosphate Batteries
Li-Cycle Corp., 2023
Recycling lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) batteries to extract lithium efficiently. The method involves processing the black mass material from LFP batteries to recover lithium in a commercial recycling process. The black mass is adjusted to pH 8-11 and Fe:P ratio, then filtered to separate ferrous phosphate. This produces a solution rich in lithium sulfate. The lithium can be further extracted from this solution. The filtered black mass has less phosphorus and iron, enabling better lithium recovery. The process also allows recovering iron and phosphorus as fertilizer byproducts.
18. Lithium-Ion Battery Electrode Material Recycling via Lithium Alkoxide Binder Decomposition
HULICO LLC, 2023
Environmentally friendly, cost-effective process for recycling lithium-ion battery electrode materials by removing the polymer binder without damaging the active materials. The method involves soaking the electrode assembly in a solution of lithium alkoxide to decompose the binder. This separates the electrode material from the current collector, allowing recovery of the electrode material for reuse.
19. Metal Extraction from Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries Using Deep Eutectic Solvent Leaching
William Marsh Rice University, 2023
Extracting and recycling metals from spent lithium-ion batteries using deep eutectic solvents as a more environmentally friendly alternative to pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy. The process involves leaching metals from battery waste with deep eutectic solvents containing hydrogen bond donor and acceptor compounds. The dissolved metal ions can be recovered by precipitation or electrodeposition and reused for new batteries.
20. Thermal and Basic Solution Treatment for Recovery of Lithium Battery Positive Electrode Active Materials
LG ENERGY SOLUTION, LTD., 2023
Method for reusing positive electrode active materials of lithium batteries to extract and recycle valuable lithium and transition metal elements without using acids or solvents. It involves thermal treating electrode scrap to remove binder and collect the active material, washing it with a basic lithium solution, and annealing to produce reusable active material.
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