Abstract
Within the e-mobility sector, which represents a major driver of the development of the overall lithium-ion battery market, batteries with nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) cathode chemistries are currently gaining ground. This work is specifically dedicated to this NMC battery type and investigates achievable recovery rates of the valuable materials contained when applying an unconventional, pyrometallurgical reactor concept. For this purpose, the currently most prevalent NMC modifications (5-3-2, 6-2-2, and 8-1-1) with carbon addition were analyzed using thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry, and treated in a lab-scale application of the mentioned reactor principle. It was shown that the reactor concept achieves high recovery rates for nickel, cobalt, and manganese of well above 80%. For lithium, which is usually oxidized and slagged, the transfer coefficient into the slag phase was less than 10% in every experimental trial. Instead, it was possible to remove the vast amount of it via a gas phase, which could potentially open up new paths regarding metal recovery from spent lithium-ion batteries.
Highlights
The ongoing transition towards a society based on clean and renewable energies, including an exponential increase of storage capacity within stationary and portable devices, has caused a surge in demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) as a lightweight and energy-dense storage alternative [1,2]
By looking at thermokinetic studies and publications that conducted investigations at sufficiently high temperatures, it can be concluded that lithium metal oxides basically tend to thermally collapse according to Equation (1) [46,47,48]: 4 LiMeO2(s) → 2 Li2O(s) + 4 MeO(s) + O2(g)
The work presented in this paper aimed to investigate the possible recovery rates of Li, Ni, Co, and Mn from spent NMC-type LIBs with an unconventional, pyrometallurgical reactor approach
Summary
The ongoing transition towards a society based on clean and renewable energies, including an exponential increase of storage capacity within stationary and portable devices, has caused a surge in demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) as a lightweight and energy-dense storage alternative [1,2]. By the year 2040, it is anticipated that almost 4000 GWh of LIBs will be installed, leading to a tremendous amount of wasted batteries which have to be recycled [3]. Due to previous economic conditions, the recycling of LIBs was primarily focused on valuable materials such as cobalt and nickel. As shown in the latest update of the European Union’s list of critical raw materials (CRM), lithium has become a metal for which both a supply risk and economic importance is concerned [2]. The new proposal of the EU Directive 2006/66/EC concerning batteries and waste batteries tries to counteract this fact with a mandatory lithium recovery rate of up to 70% by 2030 [4]. Alternative solutions which provide both high recovery rates for all materials and economic incentives for the industry are necessary [5]
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