Method for removing a particulate contaminant material from a particulate mixed lithium metal phosphate material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9550675-B2
Application number	US-201013502265-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 13, 2010
Priority date	Oct 15, 2009
Publication date	Jan 24, 2017
Grant date	Jan 24, 2017

Abstract

A method for removing a particulate contaminant material from a particulate mixed lithium metal phosphate material is provided. The method includes feeding the particulate mixed lithium metal phosphate material into a fluidizing stage containing particulate mixed lithium metal phosphate material of mass m, feeding the fluidized particulate mixed lithium metal phosphate material through a sifting stage, discontinuing the feed of the particulate mixed lithium metal phosphate material into the fluidizing stage after 10 to 100 times of the mass m have been fed into the fluidizing stage, fluidizing and sifting the material present in the fluidizing stage after discontinuing the feed until the mass of the material present in the fluidizing stage becomes 10% to 100% of the mass m, and removing the remaining material from the fluidizing stage.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for removing a particulate contaminant material from a particulate mixed lithium metal phosphate material, comprising the steps of:
a) providing a particulate mixed lithium metal phosphate material, including a particulate contaminant material and a fine particulate mixed lithium metal phosphate, having a mass,
b) feeding the particulate mixed lithium metal phosphate material into a fluidizing stage and fluidizing it in the fluidizing stage, wherein the fluidized material in the fluidized stage has an average mass,
c) feeding the fluidized particulate mixed lithium metal phosphate material to a sifting stage and passing it through the sifting stage,
d) discontinuing the feed of the particulate mixed lithium metal phosphate material into the fluidizing stage after 10 to 100 times of mass m have been fed into the fluidizing stage,
e) fluidizing and sifting the material present in the fluidizing stage after discontinuing the feed, until the mass of the material present in the fluidizing stage becomes 10% to 100% of the mass m, and
f) removing the remaining material from the fluidizing stage, wherein
the mass of the particulate mixed lithium metal phosphate material provided in step a) is equal to x·m, in which x>100 and
the sequence of steps b) to f) is repeated until the total mass x·m has been processed.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the feed of the particulate mixed lithium metal phosphate material into the fluidizing stage is discontinued after 30 to 70 times of the mass m have been fed into the fluidizing stage.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the material present in the fluidizing stage is fluidized and sifted after discontinuing the feed, until the mass of the material present in the fluidizing stage becomes 20% to 80% of the mass m.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the mixed lithium metal phosphate is represented by the formula LiMPO 4 , wherein M is selected from at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Fe, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Al, Zr, La, and rare earth metals.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein M is selected from the group consisting of Fe, Mn, Co and Ni and mixtures thereof.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein M is Fe.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the fine particulate mixed lithium metal phosphate consists of particles having a D 90 value of at most 25 μm.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the fine particulate mixed lithium metal phosphate particles have a D 90 value of less than 0.8 μm.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the particulate contaminant material is a metallic and/or oxide material.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the fluidizing stage is a fluidized bed chamber.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method additionally comprises a step b1) of milling the particulate mixed lithium metal phosphate material in a milling step between the steps a) and b) or between b) and c).

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the milling step is carried out with a jet mill.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the milling step is carried out in a milling stage and the fluidizing stage, the sifting stage and the milling stage are separate stages.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the fluidizing stage, the sifting stage and the milling stage are integrated in one device.

15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the fluidizing stage includes an automatic eject valve for removing the content of the fluidizing stage in step f).

Assignees

• Vogler Christian
• Bauer Peter
• Michot Christophe
• Johnson Matthey Plc

Inventors

• Vogler Christian
• Bauer Peter
• Michot Christophe

Classifications

• C01B25/37 Primary

  Phosphates of heavy metals · CPC title

• B02C23/08

  Separating or sorting of material, associated with crushing or disintegrating (B02C23/18 takes precedence {; beater mills combined with sifting devices B02C13/13, B02C13/14; for tumbling mills B02C17/1835}) · CPC title

• B07B15/00

  Combinations of apparatus for separating solids from solids by dry methods applicable to bulk material, e.g. loose articles fit to be handled like bulk material (using wet methods B03B7/00; using gas currents B07B9/00) · CPC title

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• H01M10/0525

  Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries · CPC title