Process, apparatus, and system for recovering materials from batteries
AssigneeLi-Cycle Corp.
InventorsAjay Kochhar, Timothy George Johnston
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for carrying out size reduction of battery materials under immersion conditions having a battery inlet and at least a first comminuting device disposed within a housing and configured to cause a size reduction of the battery materials to form reduced-size battery materials and to liberate electrolyte materials and a black mass material comprising anode and cathode powders from within the battery materials. An immersion liquid can be within the housing and can submerge the first comminuting device so the black mass material and the reduced-size battery material are entrained within the immersion liquid to form a sized-reduced feed stream. A feed outlet may be downstream from the first comminuting device.
Claims24
An apparatus for carrying out size reduction of battery materials under immersion conditions, the apparatus comprising:
- a) a housing;
- b) a battery inlet through which battery materials can be introduced into the housing;
- c) at least a first comminuting device disposed within the housing and configured to cause a size reduction of the battery materials to form reduced-size battery materials and to liberate electrolyte materials and a black mass material comprising anode and cathode powders from within the battery materials;
- d) an immersion liquid within the housing and submerging the first comminuting device, the immersion liquid being basic and being at least electrically conductive whereby sparking caused by the size reduction of the battery material is suppressed and heat generated by the size reduction is absorbed by the immersion liquid, and wherein the electrolyte materials, the black mass material and the reduced-size battery material are entrained within the immersion liquid to form a sized-reduced feed stream;
- a feed outlet that is downstream from the first comminuting device through which the sized-reduced feed stream comprising the reduced size battery material, the black mass material and the electrolyte materials entrained within the immersion liquid can exit the housing;
- and
- a first separator that is submerged by the immersion liquid and is disposed at the feed outlet to receive the sized-reduced feed stream, the first separator configured to separate the sized-reduced feed stream into at least:
- i) a black mass solid product stream comprising the black mass material and a retained portion of the immersion liquid having entrained electrolyte materials;
- and
- ii) a first filtrate stream comprising a second portion of the immersion liquid having entrained electrolyte materials.
An apparatus for carrying out size reduction of battery materials under immersion conditions, the apparatus comprising:
- a) a housing;
- b) a battery inlet through which battery materials can be introduced into the housing;
- c) at least a first comminuting device disposed within the housing and configured to cause a size reduction of the battery materials to form reduced-size battery materials and to liberate electrolyte materials and a black mass material comprising anode and cathode powders from within the battery materials;
- d) an immersion liquid within the housing and submerging the first comminuting device, the immersion liquid being basic and being at least electrically conductive whereby sparking caused by the size reduction of the battery material is suppressed and heat generated by the size reduction is absorbed by the immersion liquid, and wherein the electrolyte materials, the black mass material and the reduced-size battery material are entrained within the immersion liquid to form a sized-reduced feed stream wherein the immersion liquid comprises at least one of sodium hydroxide and calcium hydroxide;
- and
- e) a feed outlet that is downstream from the first comminuting device through which the sized-reduced feed stream comprising the reduced size battery material, the black mass material and the electrolyte materials entrained within the immersion liquid can exit the housing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.