Charge material for recycled lithium-ion batteries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022311068-A1
Application number	US-202217841152-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 15, 2022
Priority date	Apr 4, 2012
Publication date	Sep 29, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

Cathode material from exhausted lithium ion batteries are dissolved in a solution for extracting the useful elements Co (cobalt), Ni (nickel), Al (Aluminum) and Mn (manganese) to produce active cathode materials for new batteries. The solution includes compounds of desirable materials such as cobalt, nickel, aluminum and manganese dissolved as compounds from the exhausted cathode material of spent cells. Depending on a desired proportion, or ratio, of the desired materials, raw materials are added to the solution to achieve the desired ratio of the commingled compounds for the recycled cathode material for new cells. The desired materials precipitate out of solution without extensive heating or separation of the desired materials into individual compounds or elements. The resulting active cathode material has the predetermined ratio for use in new cells, and avoids high heat typically required to separate the useful elements because the desired materials remain commingled in solution.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for recycling batteries, comprising:
combining crushed battery material with leaching agents to dissolve cathode materials into a leach solution; separating cathode material salts dissolved in the leach solution from undissolved materials and determining a molar ratio of the dissolved cathode materials salts; adding, based on the determined molar ratio, a least one of Ni, Co, Mn, or Al salts to adjust the molar ratio of the dissolved cathode material salts to a selected molar ratio; and raising a pH of the leach solution to precipitate a cathode material precursor, the cathode material precursor having the selected molar ratio.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein adding the at least one of the Ni, Co, Mn, or Al salts includes adding the Al salt as a hydroxide or a sulfate salt.

3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising adding a solubilizing agent to the leach solution when the Al salt is the sulfate salt to maintain the Al salt dissolved in the leach solution.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the solubilizing agent is a chelating agent.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the chelating agent is added to the leach solution as a solution of distilled water and the Al salt.

6 . The method of claim 4 , wherein a concentration of the chelating agent is 0.05M to 0.5M.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein raising the pH of the leach solution includes raising the pH to at least 10.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising, prior to adjusting the molar ratio of the cathode material salts, precipitating at least one of iron, copper, and aluminum from the leach solution by raising the pH to a range of 3.0 to 7.0.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein raising the pH of the leach solution includes adding sodium hydroxide to raise the pH to at least 10 to precipitate the cathode material precursor as a combined hydroxide.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at the cathode material salts include Ni, Mn, and Co in different relative molar ratios.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein at least two of the Ni, Mn, and Co of the cathode material salts have different relative molar ratios.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the cathode material salts include Ni, Co and Al in different relative molar ratios.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein at least two of the Ni, Co, and Al of the cathode material salts have different relative molar ratios.

14 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising, prior to adding the at least one of the Ni, Co, or Al salts, removing Mn ions from the leach solution.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the leaching agents include an acidic solution.

16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the cathode material precursor is Ni x Mn y Co z (OH) 2 , Ni x Mn y Co z CO 3 , Ni x Co y Al z (OH) 2 or Ni x Co y Al 2 CO 3 , and wherein molar ratios defined by x, y, and z are based on the determined molar ratio of the dissolved cathode materials.

17 . A method of for obtaining electrode precursor material from recycled batteries, comprising:
leaching battery materials to obtain a solution including metals, each having a respective concentration; adjusting the concentrations of the metals to an identified molar ratio by adding metal salts; and precipitating the electrode precursor material with the identified molar ratio by raising a pH of the solution to at least 10.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein leaching the battery materials includes combining the battery materials with a reducing agent and an acidic solution.

19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein adjusting the concentrations of the metals includes adding one or more of Ni, Co, Mn, and Al salts.

20 . The method of claim 17 , wherein precipitating the electrode precursor material includes co-precipitating the metals while maintaining the solution below 80° C.

Assignees

• Worcester Polytech Inst

Inventors

• Wang Yan
• Gratz Eric
• Sa Qina
• Zheng Zhangfeng
• Heelan Joseph
• Kim Kee-Chan

Classifications

• C01F7/428

  by oxidation in an aqueous solution · CPC title

• H01M10/54 Primary

  Reclaiming serviceable parts of waste accumulators · CPC title

• C22B23/043

  Sulfurated acids or salts thereof · CPC title

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• H01M4/505

  of mixed oxides or hydroxides containing manganese for inserting or intercalating light metals, e.g. LiMn2O4 or LiMn2OxFy · CPC title