Method for preparing pretreated product for recovering valuable metals of lithium secondary battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023420761-A1
Application number	US-202318462409-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 7, 2023
Priority date	Mar 9, 2021
Publication date	Dec 28, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for preparing a pretreated product for recovering valuable metals of a lithium secondary battery includes: preparing a cathode active material mixture from a cathode of the lithium secondary battery; drying or pulverizing the cathode active material mixture; and classifying the dried or pulverized cathode active material mixture to have an average particle diameter (D50) of 400 μm or less. Flowability may be increased by reducing the average particle diameter before reduction treatment.

First claim

1 . A method for preparing a pretreated product for recovering valuable metals of a lithium secondary battery, the method comprising:
preparing a cathode active material mixture from a cathode of the lithium secondary battery; drying or pulverizing the cathode active material mixture; and classifying the dried or pulverized cathode active material mixture to have an average particle diameter (D50) of 400 μm or less.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the cathode comprises a cathode current collector; and a cathode active material layer formed on the cathode current collector, and
the preparing of the cathode active material mixture comprises removing the cathode current collector from the cathode.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the drying is performed at 60° C. to 100° C. for 48 hours to 96 hours.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the pulverizing is performed by using an impact crusher.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the classifying is performed by vibrating and screening the dried or pulverized cathode active material mixture.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , comprising the steps, which are sequentially performed, of:
drying the cathode active material mixture; pulverizing the dried cathode active material mixture; and classifying the pulverized cathode active material mixture to have an average particle diameter of 400 μm or less.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the prepared cathode active material mixture comprises macroaggregated particles having a particle diameter of 1 mm to 100 mm and fine powder having a particle diameter of less than 1 mm.

8 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein the classified cathode active material mixture does not include any macroaggregated particles.

9 . A method for recovering valuable metals of a lithium secondary battery, the method comprising:
forming a preliminary precursor mixture by reducing the classified cathode active material mixture of claim 1 ; and recovering a lithium precursor and a transition metal precursor from the preliminary precursor mixture.

10 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the forming of the preliminary precursor mixture comprises:
fluidizing the classified cathode active material mixture by means of a fluidizing gas in a fluidized bed reactor; and injecting a reducing gas into the fluidized bed reactor to reduce the fluidized classified cathode active material mixture to form a preliminary precursor mixture from the fluidized cathode active material mixture.

11 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the reducing gas includes hydrogen.

12 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the preliminary precursor mixture comprises preliminary lithium precursor particles and preliminary transition metal precursor particles.

13 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein the recovering of the lithium precursor and the transition metal precursor from the preliminary precursor mixture comprises:
collecting the lithium precursor by washing the preliminary lithium precursor particles with water; and collecting the transition metal precursor by performing acid treatment on the preliminary transition metal precursor particles.

14 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the forming of the preliminary precursor mixture comprises:
treating the classified cathode active material mixture with an acidic solution including a reducing agent.

15 . The method according to claim 14 , wherein the recovering of the lithium precursor and the transition metal precursor from the preliminary precursor mixture comprises:
collecting the lithium precursor and the transition metal precursor by inputting an extractant to a solution including a cathode active material mixture treated with the acidic solution.

Assignees

• Sk Innovation Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Hyeon Jung
• Son Sung Real
• Kim Ji Min
• Ha Hyeon Bae

Classifications

• B01D9/0054

  Use of anti-solvent · CPC title

• B07B13/04

  according to size · CPC title

• B01J8/24

  according to "fluidised-bed" technique (B01J8/20 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B03B2009/066

  the refuse being batteries · CPC title

• B03B9/061

  the refuse being industrial · CPC title