Methods and systems for scalable direct recycling of batteries

#The present disclosure relates generally to systems, apparatus, and methods for recycling energy storage devices, and more particularly to recycling of lithium-ion batteries and their components.

#Lithium-ion batteries have high power and energy density, long cycle life, high potential, and low self-discharge rate. As a result, they are usually regarded as the most promising approach for near-term energy storage and widely used in consumer electronics, electric vehicles, and grid energy storage. However, lithium-ion batteries also have several drawbacks, including limitations of battery material supply, environmental hazards during production or end of life, and the high cost of manufacturing.

#Systems, apparatus, and methods are disclosed for recycling energy storage devices. In some embodiments, a method includes processing at least one battery into a plurality of core sections. Each core section in the plurality of core sections includes at least an anode section including at least an anode material, a cathode section including at least a cathode material, a separator section disposed between the anode section and the cathode section, and an electrolyte. The method also includes disposing the plurality of core sections into a solvent so as to produce a mixture of cathode materials and other components from the plurality of core sections. The solvent and the electrolyte form an ionic conductive medium, and the mixture of the cathode materials is characterized by a substantially homogeneous distribution of an active element in the cathode material.

#The skilled artisan will understand that the drawings primarily are for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventive subject matter described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale; in some instances, various aspects of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein may be shown exaggerated or enlarged in the drawings to facilitate an understanding of different features. In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to like features (e.g., functionally similar and/or structurally similar elements).

#FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method of recycling the cathode material of batteries, in accordance with some embodiments.

#FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method of scalable direct recycling of batteries, in accordance with some embodiments.

#To address the drawbacks associated with lithium-ion batteries, recycling of lithium-ion batteries can be employed to decrease the total lifetime energy consumption, battery material demand, and the manufacturing cost. For example, during battery production, wrought aluminum and cathode materials typically take up around half and 10% to 14%, respectively, of the cradle-to-gate energy consumption or greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. Recycling aluminum and cathode material can therefore significantly reduce the energy consumption and GHG emission of battery production.

#Recycling of batteries can be implemented via at least three approaches: smelting recycling, hydrometallurgical recycling, and direct recycling. In smelting battery recycling, end-of-life batteries are directly smelted to recover valuable metals, such as Co, Ni, and Cu, which are typically in the form of an alloy from the bottom of smelters. A leaching process is usually performed to separate the recovered metals.

#Smelting can be employed to economically recover some elements (e.g., Co, Mn, Ni, etc.) from several types of cathode materials, including LiCoO2, LiMn2O4, and LiNixMnyCozO2 where x+y+z=1. In some embodiments, any one of x, y, or z can be zero. However, it is generally not economically advantageous to recycle LiFetM1−tPO4, where M=Mn, Ni, Co, V or metal elements, or a combination of several metal elements (LFMP) cathodes via smelting, because metals that are recovered from LFMP batteries are less valuable. In addition, lithium and aluminum during smelting usually end up in a slag. Extensive and costly processing is typically conducted to separate the metals before they can be used to construct new batteries. Furthermore, the smelting process itself often generates extensive waste gases, thereby increasing the overall cost due to subsequent waste treatment.