Abstract
Eramet uses a combination of physical and hydrometallurgical treatment to recycle lithium-ion batteries. Before hydrometallurgical processing, mechanical treatment is applied to recover the Black Mass which contains nickel, cobalt, manganese and lithium as valuable elements as well as graphite, solvent, plastics, aluminium and copper. To evaluate the suitability for hydrometallurgical recycling, it is essential to analyse the Black Mass chemically but also with respect to size, shape and composition of particles in the Black Mass. The Black Mass of various battery recyclers was investigated by using a combination of SEM/QEMSCAN® analyses. This specific QEMSCAN® database contains 260 subgroups, which comprise major and minor chemical variations of phases. The database was created using millions of point analyses. Major observations are: (1) particles can be micro-texturally characterised and classified with respect to chemical element contents; (2) important textural and chemical particle variations exist in the Black Mass from several origins leading to different levels of quality; (3) elements deleterious to hydrometallurgical processing (i.g. Si, Ca, Ti, Al, Cu and others) are present in well liberated particles; (4) components can be quantified and cathodes active material compositions (LCO, different NMC, NCA, LFP, etc.) that are specific for each battery type can be identified; (5) simulation of further physical mineral processing can optimise Black Mass purity in valuable elements.
Highlights
For more than 30 years, many studies have been carried out about the Lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) and their applications [1,2,3]
A cell of LiB is formed of a transition metal compound as the cathode layer, graphite as the anode layer, aluminium (Al) and copper (Cu) as current collectors, Li salt as the electrolyte, a polymeric separator, organic solvent and a metallic casing [2,3,9,10]
Each Black Mass (BM) was analysed by means of Inductively Coupled Plasma—Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES), carbon/sulphur (C/S) analyser and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) coupled with a Quantitative Evaluation of Minerals by Scanning electron microscopy system (QEMSCAN®), which is based at Eramet Ideas (Trappes, France)
Summary
For more than 30 years, many studies have been carried out about the Lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) and their applications [1,2,3]. At the end of the recycling processes, the composed active material of valuable elements, such as nickel (Ni), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co) and lithium (Li) can be used to synthesize new precursors for cathodes of future LiBs. After the pack cells have undergone physical treatments The second objective of the present paper was to identify a number of additional phases and to quantify those with respect to mass percentages Microtextural information, such as the degree of liberation, relative densities and shapes, was quantified for each component. Microtextural information such as the degree of liberation and relative densities of phases and particles needed to be quantified. This paper investigates the potential of automated mineralogical characterisation to purify BMs and attain a lower content of deleterious elements
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
