# US 12,218,323 B2 · Method for reusing active material using positive electrode scrap

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- Number: US 12,218,323 B2
- Document ID: US12218323B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/788,705
- Filed: 2020-11-06
- Published: 2023-02-09
- Granted: 2025-02-04
- Earliest claimed: 2020-05-25
- Assignees: LG Energy Solution, Ltd.
- Applicants: LG Energy Solution, Ltd.
- Inventors: Se-Ho Park; Min-Seo Kim; Doo-Kyung Yang; Myung-Hwan Kim
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12218323B2

## CPC

- H01M 10/54: Reclaiming serviceable parts of waste accumulators
- C01G 51/42: containing alkali metals, e.g. LiCoO2
- C22B 7/00: Working up raw materials other than ores, e.g. scrap, to produce non-ferrous metals and compounds thereof; {Methods of a general interest or applied to the winning of more than two metals (briquetting of scrap C22B1/248; preliminary treatment of scrap C22B1/005)}
- H01M 4/131: Electrodes based on mixed oxides or hydroxides, or on mixtures of oxides or hydroxides, e.g. LiCoOx
- H01M 4/525: of mixed oxides or hydroxides containing iron, cobalt or nickel for inserting or intercalating light metals, e.g. LiNiO2, LiCoO2 or LiCoOxFy
- H01M 10/052: Li-accumulators
- C01P 2002/72: by d-values or two theta-values, e.g. as X-ray diagram
- C01P 2004/03: obtained by SEM
- C01P 2006/40: Electric properties
- C01P 2006/80: Compositional purity
- H01M 2004/028: {Positive electrodes}
- Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries
- Y02P 10/20: Recycling
- Y02W 30/84: Recycling of batteries or fuel cells
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- C01G: COMPOUNDS CONTAINING METALS NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C01D OR C01F (metal hydrides {monoborane, diborane or addition complexes thereof} C01B6/00; salts of oxyacids of halogens C01B11/00; peroxides, salts or peroxyacids C01B15/00; thiosulfates, dithionites, polythionates C01B17/64; compounds containing selenium, or tellurium C01B19/00; binary compounds of nitrogen with metals C01B21/06; azides C01B21/08; {compounds containing nitrogen, other non-metals and metal C01B21/082}; metal amides C01B21/092; nitrites C01B21/50; {compounds of noble gases C01B23/0005}; phosphides C01B25/08; salts of oxyacids of phosphorus C01B25/16; carbides C01B32/90; compounds containing silicon C01B33/00; compounds containing boron C01B35/00; compounds having molecular sieve properties but not having base-exchange properties C01B37/00; compounds having molecular sieve and base-exchange properties, e.g. crystalline zeolites, C01B39/00; cyanides C01C3/08; salts of cyanamide C01C3/16; thiocyanates C01C3/20)
- C22B: PRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS (electrolytic C25); PRETREATMENT OF RAW MATERIALS
- C01P: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO STRUCTURAL AND PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF SOLID INORGANIC COMPOUNDS
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
- Y02W: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT

## Abstract

There is provided a method for collecting and reusing an active material from positive electrode scrap. The positive electrode active material reuse method of the present disclosure includes (a) thermally treating positive electrode scrap comprising an active material layer on a current collector in air for thermal decomposition of a binder and a conductive material in the active material layer, to separate the current collector from the active material layer, and collecting an active material in the active material layer, (b) washing the collected active material using a lithium precursor aqueous solution which is basic in an aqueous solution and drying, and (c) annealing the washed active material to obtain a reusable active material.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for producing a reusable positive electrode active material, comprising:
(a) thermally treating positive electrode scrap comprising an active material layer on a current collector in air for thermal decomposition of a binder and a conductive material in the active material layer, to separate the current collector from the active material layer, and collecting an active material in the active material layer;
(b) washing the active material collected from the step (a) for 1 hour or less using a lithium precursor aqueous solution which is basic in an aqueous solution and drying; and
(c) annealing the washed active material without adding an additional lithium precursor to obtain a reusable active material,
wherein the thermal treatment is performed at 300 to 650° C. for 1 hour or less.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the lithium precursor aqueous solution contains a lithium precursor in an amount of greater than 0% and equal to or less than 15%, and the washing is performed for 10 minutes or less.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method according to claim 2, wherein the lithium precursor includes LiOH.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the washing is performed by stirring the collected active material at the same time with impregnation of the lithium precursor aqueous solution.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein, through the washing step (b), a lithium precursor included in the lithium precursor aqueous solution is added to the active material collected from the step (a) to compensate for an amount of lithium dissolved from the active material during the washing step (b).

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the annealing is performed in air at 400 to 1000° C.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the lithium precursor aqueous solution contains a lithium precursor, and a temperature of the annealing step exceeds a melting point of the lithium precursor.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the active material collected from the step (a) has a form of powder, and carbon produced by carbonization of the binder or the conductive material does not remain on a surface of the active material.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the reusable active material has a similar particle size distribution to the active material in the active material layer.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein a fluorine (F) content of the reusable active material is 100 ppm or less.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein a lithium precursor is included in the lithium precursor aqueous solution in an amount of lithium depleted during the steps (a) and (b).

### Claim 12

A method for reusing a positive electrode active material, comprising:
(a) thermally treating positive electrode scrap comprising a lithium cobalt oxide positive electrode active material layer on a current collector in air at 300 to 650° C. for 1 hour or less for thermal decomposition of a binder and a conductive material in the active material layer, to separate the current collector from the active material layer, and collecting an active material in the active material layer;
(b) washing the active material collected from the step (a) for 10 min or less using a lithium precursor aqueous solution and drying, wherein the lithium precursor aqueous solution is basic in an aqueous solution and contains a lithium precursor in an amount of more than 0% and 15% or less; and
(c) annealing the washed active material in air at 400 to 1000° C. without adding an additional lithium precursor to obtain a reusable active material.