Method for acid dissolution of LiCoO2 contained in spent lithium-ion batteries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10490866-B2
Application number	US-201615768407-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 14, 2016
Priority date	Oct 14, 2015
Publication date	Nov 26, 2019
Grant date	Nov 26, 2019

Abstract

A method for the acid dissolution of LiCoO 2 contained in the cathode of lithium ion batteries, using acetic or tartaric acid as leaching agent, the method being characterized in that it comprises a first stage and a second stage, wherein said first stage comprises the step of separating the cathode components, while said second stage comprises the step of dissolving the pure LiCoO 2 with at least one acid. The method allows achieving an economically viable complete recycling process with low environmental impact.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for acid dissolution of LiCoO 2 contained in a Li-ion battery cathode, the method comprising a first stage and a second stage, wherein the first stage comprises a step of separating the cathode components by one or more steps of removal of adhesives used to adhere the LiCoO 2 to an aluminum foil in the Li-ion battery, wherein such removal of adhesives is effected by means of one diluted acid selected from the group consisting of H 4 C 2 O 2 , H 6 C 4 O 6 , H 8 C 6 O 7 , and H 2 SO 4 , and thus obtaining an aluminum foil as a recycling material, an effluent containing a remainder of the acid used in the first stage, and LiCoO 2 without impurities, and
wherein the second stage comprises the step of dissolving LiCoO 2 from the first stage with acetic acid or tartaric acid as a leaching agent and hydrogen peroxide as a reducing agent.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the removal of adhesives by means of one diluted acid comprises several reuse stages of H 4 C 2 O 2 , H 6 C 4 O 6 , H 8 C 6 O 7 , or H 2 SO 4 .

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein after removal of adhesives with H 2 SO 4 , the effluent generated therefrom is dried at low temperature and obtained residues are treated by a waste operator.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising a step of recycling the effluent generated after one or more steps of removal of adhesives with one diluted acid selected from H 4 C 2 O 2 , H 6 C 4 O 6 , or H 8 C 6 O 7 into the second stage, for dissolution of LiCoO 2 .

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second stage starts from a solid without impurities, which is dissolved with acetic or tartaric acids at a concentration lower than 15% v/v or lower than 5% w/v, using a reaction time of less than 60 minutes and a temperature of 75° C., achieving complete dissolution of LiCoO 2 .

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising a step of subjecting the LiCoO 2 dissolved in the second stage to a sol-gel synthesis method for re-synthesizing LiCoO 2 .

Assignees

• Consejo Nacional De Investigaciones Cientificas Y Tecn Conicet
• Univ Nacional De Cuyo
• Inis Biotech Llc

Inventors

• Rodriguez Mario Humberto
• Suarez Daniela S
• Pinna Eliana G
• Zeballos Celina N

Classifications

• C22B7/007

  by acid leaching · CPC title

• C22B23/0415

  with acids or salt solutions except ammonium salts solutions · CPC title

• C22B1/005

  Preliminary treatment of scrap (C22B1/02 - C22B1/26 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01M10/54 Primary

  Reclaiming serviceable parts of waste accumulators · CPC title

• C22B26/12

  Obtaining lithium · CPC title