Abstract
The recovery of cathode and anode materials plays an important role in the recycling process of spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Organic binders reduce the liberation efficiency and flotation efficiency of electrode materials derived from spent LIBs. In this study, pyrolysis technology is used to improve the recovery of cathode and anode materials from spent LIBs by removing organic binders. Pyrolysis characteristics of organics in electrode materials are investigated, and on this basis, the effects of pyrolysis parameters on the liberation efficiency of electrode materials are studied. Afterwards, flotation technology is used to separate cathode material from anode material. The results indicate that the optimum liberation efficiency of electrode materials is obtained at a pyrolysis temperature of 500 °C, a pyrolysis time of 15 min and a pyrolysis heating rate of 10 °C/min. At this time, the liberation efficiency of cathode materials is 98.23% and the liberation efficiency of anode materials is 98.89%. Phase characteristics of electrode materials cannot be changed under these pyrolysis conditions. Ultrasonic cleaning was used to remove pyrolytic residues to further improve the flotation efficiency of electrode materials. The cathode material grade was up to 93.89% with a recovery of 96.88% in the flotation process.
Highlights
Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are widely used as an energy-storage component in various electrical and electronic products, including mobile phones, cameras, laptop computers, and new-energy vehicles, due to their excellent characteristics, such as high energy density, safe handling, and low self-discharge [1,2]
TG analysis played an important role in guiding the selection of the pyrolysis parameters
Pyrolysis technology was used to improve the recovery of cathode and anode materials from spent LIBs
Summary
Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are widely used as an energy-storage component in various electrical and electronic products, including mobile phones, cameras, laptop computers, and new-energy vehicles, due to their excellent characteristics, such as high energy density, safe handling, and low self-discharge [1,2]. From the viewpoint of environmental protection and resource recovery, the recycling of spent LIBs has attracted more and more attention, and some sophisticated processes including hydrometallurgy, pyrometallurgy, and bio-metallurgy have been proposed [6,7,8]. Manual dismantling is extensively used to obtain cathode materials for the metallurgy process. Each component is obtained using the dismantling process and cathode is selected as a research target. N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone or other chemical solutions are usually used to remove the organic binder, and cathode materials are liberated from the aluminum foils [10,11]. Manual dismantling is harmful to people’s health and limits the industrial recovery efficiency of spent LIBs. At the same time, using a chemical solution to remove the organic binder has some problems, including low liberation efficiency and secondary pollution
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