Method And Apparatus For Recycling Lithium-Ion Batteries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024204279-A1
Application number	US-202418582718-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 21, 2024
Priority date	Apr 4, 2012
Publication date	Jun 20, 2024
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

1 . A method for obtaining a cathode material with a selected ratio of metallic elements from recycled battery electrode materials, comprising:
leaching metallic elements from a granular mass of exhausted battery material including the cathode materials in particulate form with a solution including sulfuric acid having a pH within a pH range; adjusting concentrations of the metallic elements to the selected ratio using additional quantities of the metallic elements; and adjusting the pH to acidic levels for removing impurities and to basic levels to precipitate a cathode material precursor for the cathode material.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the pH range is between 3.0-5.0.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the adjusted concentrations include unequal concentrations of the metallic elements.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the exhausted battery material includes anode material and cathode material.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the exhausted battery material includes comingled current collector material, anode material and cathode material.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the additional quantities of metallic elements are sourced from refined materials.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising sintering the cathode material precursor and a sintering compound to form the cathode material.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the sintering compound is lithium carbonate.

9 . A method of forming a cathode material comprising:
forming an aqueous solution of cathode material salts comprising nickel salts, manganese salts, and cobalt salts, each having a respective concentration; adjusting the concentration of the cathode metal salts with additional metal salts to obtain a selected ratio; and precipitating a cathode material precursor from the aqueous solution, wherein the cathode material salts are obtained from a granular mass of crushed exhausted lithium ion batteries of a lithium ion battery recycling stream.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the cathode material salts are obtained from the granular mass of crushed exhausted lithium ion batteries by combining the granular mass and an acidic leach agent.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the acidic leach agent is an aqueous acidic leach agent.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the aqueous acidic leach agent comprises sulfuric acid.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the aqueous acidic leach agent comprises hydrogen peroxide.

14 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the aqueous solution of cathode material salts further comprises 2 wt % or less of at least one impurity including iron, copper, aluminum and magnesium.

15 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the cathode material precursor is precipitated by raising the pH of the aqueous solution with a base.

16 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising separating undissolved material and removing impurities from the aqueous solution of cathode material salts.

17 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the cathode material precursor has the selected ratio.

18 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the exhausted battery material includes comingled current collector material, anode material and cathode material.

19 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising sintering the cathode material precursor and a sintering compound to form the cathode material.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the sintering compound is lithium carbonate.

Assignees

• Worcester Polytech Inst
• Ascend Elements Inc

Inventors

• Wang Yan
• Apelian Diran
• Zou Haiyang

Classifications

• C01G53/82

  Compounds containing nickel, with or without oxygen or hydrogen, and containing two or more other elements · CPC title

• C22B7/007

  by acid leaching · CPC title

• C22B1/24

  Binding; Briquetting {; Granulating} · CPC title

• C22B23/043

  Sulfurated acids or salts thereof · CPC title

• C22B26/22

  Obtaining magnesium · CPC title