EP4370720A2

EP4370720A2 - Method for recycling li-ion batteries

Info

Publication number: EP4370720A2
Application number: EP22750694.6A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Stephan GEIMER; Markus Andreas Reuter; Nikolaus Peter Kurt Borowski; Erik HECKER
Original assignee: SMS Group GmbH
Current assignee: SMS Group GmbH
Priority date: 2021-07-15
Filing date: 2022-07-11
Publication date: 2024-05-22
Also published as: JP2024524651A; KR20240021908A; WO2023285394A3; CA3225952A1; DE102021207544A1; US20240347800A1; WO2023285394A2

Abstract

The present application relates to a method for recycling lithium-containing electrochemical energy storage devices, more particularly cells and/or batteries, wherein: i) the electrochemical energy storage devices are first comminuted and a fraction comprising an active material is removed from the comminuted matter, the fraction comprising active material having carbon (C), lithium (Li) and at least one of the elements selected from the series comprising cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), iron (Fe) and/or combinations thereof; ii) the fraction comprising active material is subsequently fed to a melt-down unit and is melted down in the presence of slag-forming agents, so that a molten slag phase and a molten metal phase are formed; and iii) then the lithium (Li) contained in the molten slag phase and/or molten metal phase is converted into a gas phase by the addition of a fluorinating agent and the carbon (C) is converted into a gas phase by the addition of an oxygen-containing gas, and said lithium and carbon are withdrawn from the process as discharge gas.

Description

Process for recycling Li-Ion batteries

The present invention relates to a method for recycling lithium-containing electrochemical energy storage devices, in particular cells and/or batteries.

As a result of the increasing electrification of the automotive sector, the global demand for the element lithium, which is a main component of lithium-ion batteries, is increasing. In order to recover the valuable raw materials contained therein such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, iron, aluminum, copper or vanadium as efficiently as possible, processes are required in which the hydrometallurgical

treatment can be reduced to a minimum.

In the methods known from the prior art, the lithium-ion batteries are first discharged and then comminuted under inert gas. The coarse material is then separated from the electrolyte and dried in a thermal conditioning step. The fractions resulting from the treatment steps are the electrolyte, which contains lithium in the form of lithium hexafluorophosphate; an active material which, in addition to graphite, includes the valuable transition metals and lithium;

metal foils with adhesions of active material; various plastics and housing parts. The separated active material is then further treated and processed using hydrometallurgical and/or pyrometallurgical processes. Some of the raw materials contained, such as graphite, cobalt, manganese, iron, aluminium, copper or vanadium, are extracted in various stages of processes. The lithium is usually only obtained in further stages of a recycling process. A method is also known from WO 2020/104164 A1, in which a large part of the lithium can be fumed off as lithium chloride from a slag phase by adding alkali metal and/or alkaline earth metal chloride.

The present invention is therefore based on the object of a method for recycling lithium-containing materials that is improved compared to the prior art to provide electrochemical energy storage devices, in particular cells and/or batteries, in particular to provide a method for recycling lithium-containing electrochemical energy storage devices, which allows hydrometallurgical treatment reduced to a minimum.

Description of the invention

According to the invention, the object is achieved by a method having the features of claim 1.

In the method proposed according to the invention for recycling lithium-containing electrochemical energy storage devices, in particular cells and/or batteries, i) the electrochemical energy storage devices are first comminuted, a fraction comprising an active material being separated from the comminuted material, the fraction comprising active material containing carbon ( C), lithium (Li) and at least one of the elements selected from the series comprising cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), iron (Fe) and/or combinations thereof. The fraction comprising active material is then fed to a melting unit and melted down in the presence of slag-forming agents, so that a molten slag phase and a molten metal phase are formed (step ii). The lithium (Li) contained in the molten slag phase and/or molten metal phase is then converted into a gas phase by adding a fluorinating agent and the carbon (C) by adding an oxygen-containing gas and withdrawn from the process as waste gas (step iii).

According to the process according to the invention, the fraction comprising active material is reacted at high temperatures and under reducing conditions in the melting unit. The lithium is fluorinated directly through the targeted dosing of the fluorinating agent, so that it can be quantitatively removed as a gas containing lithium fluoride at an early stage of the process. The recovery rate is advantageously at least 90%, more preferably at least 95%, even more preferably 99%, based on the total amount of lithium fed to the recycling process. The lithium thus converted into the gas phase can then be recovered directly in a subsequent condensation process. At the same time, the precious metals, especially the Cobalt and nickel accumulate in the molten metal phase, while the less valuable metals, particularly iron and manganese, are oxidized and slagged. The process according to the invention thus allows the hydrometallurgical recovery of the lithium and of the valuable metals to be reduced to a minimum.

Further advantageous refinements of the invention are specified in the dependently formulated claims. The features listed individually in the dependent claims can be combined with one another in a technologically meaningful manner and can define further refinements of the invention. In addition, the features specified in the claims are specified and explained in more detail in the description, with further preferred configurations of the invention being presented.

In the context of the present invention, the term “smelting unit” means a conventional bath melting unit or an electric arc furnace (EAF).

For the purposes of the present invention, the term “fraction comprising active material” is understood to mean a mixture which essentially comprises the anode and cathode material of the lithium-containing cells and/or batteries. This fraction is obtained by mechanical processing from the comminuted material from electrochemical energy storage devices. The anode material usually consists of graphite, which can contain inclusions of lithium ions. The cathode material, on the other hand, is formed from lithium-containing transition metal oxides, so that this can have a different cell chemistry depending on the material system.

In the context of the present invention, the term “oxygen-containing gas” is understood to mean air, oxygen-enriched air or pure oxygen, which is advantageously fed to the melting unit via an injector.

Unless otherwise defined, the term “injector” in the context of the present invention is understood to mean a lance or an injection tube which is essentially formed from a hollow-cylindrical element. In a preferred embodiment variant, the at least one injector can comprise a Laval nozzle, via which the oxygen-containing gas is blown into the molten slag phase and/or molten metal phase. A Laval nozzle is characterized in that it comprises a convergent and a divergent section, which is located at a nozzle throat border each other. The radius in the narrowest cross-section, the outlet radius and the nozzle length can vary depending on the particular design.

In a first embodiment variant, the fraction comprising active material comprises at least the elements carbon and lithium and at least one of the elements selected from the series comprising cobalt, manganese, nickel, iron and/or combinations thereof. Furthermore, at least one of the elements from the series comprising phosphorus, sulfur, vanadium, aluminum and/or copper can be present.

The process according to the invention can be carried out under normal pressure or under a reduced pressure. If the process is carried out at normal pressure (1 atm), the fraction comprising the active material is preferably at a temperature of at least 1000° C., more preferably at a temperature of at least 1250° C., even more preferably at a temperature of at least 1450° C, and most preferably at a temperature of at least 1600°C in the presence of the slag formers. On the other hand, if the process is to be carried out under a reduced pressure, for example at a pressure of less than 1000 mbar, the fraction comprising the active material is melted down accordingly at a temperature adapted to the respective reduced pressure in the presence of the slag-forming agents.

The temperature of the gas phase and/or of the exhaust gas is preferably, possibly continuously, detected.

FeO, CaO, S1O2, MgO and/or Al2O3, for example, can be used as slag-forming agents. If necessary, further mixed oxides such as CaSiO 3 , Ca 2 Si 2 O 5 , Mg 2 SiO 4 , CaALO ^ etc. can be added to the process.

The molten metal phase obtained in step ii) of the process according to the invention is preferably tapped off as soon as a desired concentration of the valuable metals has been reached. This can then be fed to a subsequent hydrometallurgical processing step, in particular a separation and refining step. The molten slag phase, on the other hand, can be granulated after it has been tapped and put to further use, for example road construction. In order to obtain a sufficiently reducing atmosphere within the melting unit and/or in the exhaust gas, the carbon (C) is oxidized with the oxygen-containing gas to form carbon monoxide (CO) in step iii). The proportion of carbon monoxide in the gas phase and/or in the exhaust gas is advantageously detected, optionally continuously, so that it can be regulated by corresponding enrichment or reduction of the oxygen partial pressure. The oxygen-containing gas can preferably be fed to the melting unit via at least one injector.

The lithium reacted as gas containing lithium fluoride is advantageously reacted thermally with the carbon monoxide (CO) and oxygen in a further process stage to form lithium carbonate (U ₂ CO ₃ ). The further process stage can be designed, for example, in the form of an afterburning chamber, in which the gas containing lithium fluoride is converted into lithium carbonate under strongly reducing conditions and at a suitable temperature.

As already explained, the lithium is quantitatively removed from the process at an early stage of the process through the targeted dosing of the fluorinating agent, with the valuable metals being enriched in the molten metal phase at the same time. In order to achieve sufficient fluorination of the lithium, the fluorine content added to the process via the fluorinating agent should be at least 0.05% by weight, preferably at least 0.5% by weight, more preferably at least 1.0% by weight, even more preferably at least 1.5% by weight %, and most preferably at least 2.0% by weight, based on the amount of active material fed to the process according to step ii).

Since some of the valuable transition metals, in particular the cobalt and/or the nickel, can also react with the fluorinating agent in a competitive reaction and thus the desired separation between the lithium and the valuable transition metals can be impaired, the content of the fluorinating agent added to the process should Fluorine at most 15.0% by weight, preferably at most 12.5% by weight, more preferably at most 10.0% by weight, even more preferably at most 8.5% by weight, and most preferably at most 7.5% by weight, based on the dem Process according to step ii) amount of active material supplied. A fluorine content of 0.05 to 15.0% by weight, more preferably a fluorine content of 0.5 to 12.5% by weight, even more preferably a fluorine content of 1.0 to 10.0% by weight, more preferably a fluorine content, is therefore advantageously added to the process via the fluorinating agent from 1.5 to 8.5% by weight, and most preferably a fluorine content from 2.0 to 7.5% by weight, based on the amount of active material fed to the process according to step ii). In this context, it is particularly preferred that the proportion of the gas containing lithium fluoride in the gas phase and/or in the exhaust gas is detected, optionally continuously, so that the amount of fluorinating agent can be regulated accordingly.

In a particularly preferred embodiment variant of the method, an electrolyte of the lithium-containing energy storage devices is used as the fluorination agent, which electrolyte preferably includes lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPFe). For this purpose, it is advantageously provided that a fraction comprising the electrolyte is separated from the electrochemical energy storage devices and/or from the comminuted material, which fraction is then used as a fluorinating agent according to step iii). On the one hand, this allows the recovery rate of lithium to be increased again. On the other hand, the recycling process is largely based on the components of the lithium-containing energy storage devices.

If the fraction comprising active material comprises aluminum, the aluminum content can have a significant thermodynamic influence on the recovery rate of lithium. In order to guarantee an efficient process, the fraction comprising active material should therefore have a maximum aluminum content of 10.0% by weight, preferably a maximum aluminum content of 7.0% by weight, more preferably a maximum aluminum content of 6.0% by weight. %, even more preferably a maximum proportion of aluminum of 5.0% by weight, and most preferably a maximum proportion of aluminum of 4.5% by weight, based on the amount of active material fed to the process according to step ii).

The oxygen partial pressure can also have a significant thermodynamic influence on the recovery rate of lithium. To achieve the reducing conditions, a specific oxygen content is required, which is oxidized with the carbon contained in the process to form carbon monoxide. However, if the oxygen partial pressure is too high, this in turn promotes the formation of metal oxides is undesirable. Due to the respective process-specific parameters, this must therefore always be adapted to the respective process conditions.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the process is carried out in the presence of an optionally inert carrier gas, in particular in the presence of nitrogen, which is used here as a carrier gas. In an alternative embodiment variant, air or oxygen-enriched air can also be used as the carrier gas. It has been shown that a continuous flow rate of at least 300 Nm ³ /h, preferably a continuous flow rate of at least 500 Nm ³ /h, more preferably a continuous flow rate of at least 750 Nm ³ /h, even more preferably a continuous flow rate of at least 900 Nm ³ /h, and most preferably a continuous flow rate of at least 1000 Nm ³ /h, based on an amount of 1000 kg of active material that is fed to the process according to step ii), has a particularly advantageous effect on the recovery rate. In order to regulate the flow rate of the carrier gas accordingly, it is detected, if necessary continuously.

examples

The invention and the technical environment are explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments. It should be pointed out that the invention should not be limited by the exemplary embodiments shown. In particular, unless explicitly stated otherwise, it is also possible to extract partial aspects of the facts explained in the illustrated exemplary embodiments and/or figures and to combine them with other components and findings from the present description.

FIGS. 1 to 9 show results from different examples that were carried out using a simulation tool from the company Factsage™. The databases FactPS, FToxid, FTmisc and FScopp were used for the calculations.

A fraction comprising active material with a composition according to Table 1 below, which was determined analytically from comminuted lithium-containing batteries, was used as the input variables. Tab.1 :

In the thermodynamic calculations carried out, the following aspects of mass and energy transfer, temperature, the oxygen partial pressure of the carrier gas flow and the chemistry were considered in order to investigate the distribution of the respective elements in the molten slag phase, in the molten metal phase and in the gas phase.

The following elements and compounds were identified as typical species identified in the gas phase:

LiF; Li; (LiF) ₂ ; (LiF) ₃ ; Li2 ₀ ; LiN; LiAIF ₄ ; Li ₂ AIF ₅ ; LiO; AIF ₃ ;

The following elements and compounds can be identified as typical species identified in the molten slag phase:

Al ₂ O ₃ ; SiO ₂ ; CoO; NiO; MnO; Cu2 ₀ ; Mn ₂ 0 ₃ ; Li2 ₀ ; LiAI0 ₂ ; _P2Os ; LiF; LiAIF ₄ ; and small amounts of metal halides of Co; Cu; and Ni;

The molten metal phase contained the following elements:

Co; Cu; Ni; Mn; C; P; Si; Li; AI; Fe;

Furthermore, there was an excess of graphite. For the results shown in Figures 1 to 3, thermodynamic equilibrium calculations were carried out with the parameters according to Table 2: Tab.2:

The results shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 show, on the one hand, that the conversion of lithium into the gas phase increases with increasing temperature, and, on the other hand, that an increasing fluorine content promotes the thermodynamic processes, whereas an increasing Al content in the active material this worsens.

For the results shown in Figures 4 to 6, thermodynamic equilibrium calculations were carried out with the parameters according to Table 3:

Tab.3:

In comparison to the results shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, it is shown here that a high, continuous flow of carrier gas promotes the thermodynamic reaction.

For the results shown in Figures 7 to 9, thermodynamic equilibrium calculations were carried out with the parameters according to Table 4:

Tab.4:

In order to further investigate the influence of the oxygen partial pressure, only the value of the oxygen partial pressure was varied in Examples 7 to 9, while the other parameters were retained. In comparison to the previous examples, it is shown here that a low oxygen partial pressure favors the thermodynamic reaction due to the better reducing conditions.

Claims

patent claims

1. A method for recycling lithium-containing electrochemical energy storage devices, in particular cells and/or batteries, in which i) the electrochemical energy storage devices are first comminuted and a fraction comprising an active material is separated from the comminuted material, the fraction comprising active material containing carbon (C) , lithium (Li) and at least one of the elements selected from the series comprising cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), iron (Fe) and/or combinations thereof; ii) the fraction comprising active material is then fed to a melting unit and melted down in the presence of slag-forming agents, so that a molten slag phase and a molten metal phase are formed; and iii) the lithium (Li) contained in the molten slag phase and/or molten metal phase is then converted into a gas phase by adding a fluorinating agent and the carbon (C) is converted into a gas phase by adding an oxygen-containing gas and are withdrawn from the process as waste gas.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein in step iii) the carbon (C) is oxidized with the oxygen-containing gas to form carbon monoxide (CO).

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the lithium fluoride-containing gas with the

Carbon monoxide (CO) and oxygen is thermally converted to lithium carbonate (U ₂ CO ₃ ) in a further process step.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a fluorine content of 0.05 to 15.0% by weight, based on the fraction comprising active material fed to the process according to step ii), is added to the process via the fluorinating agent.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims 2 to 4, wherein the proportion of lithium fluoride-containing gas and / or the proportion of carbon monoxide (CO) in the gas phase and / or in the exhaust gas, optionally continuously, is detected.

6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the process is carried out in the presence of an optionally inert carrier gas, in particular in the presence of nitrogen.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the carrier gas at a flow rate of at least 300 Nm ³ / h, preferably at a flow rate of at least 500 Nm ³ / h, more preferably at a flow rate of at least 750 Nm ³ / h, even more preferably with a flow rate of at least 900 Nm ³ /h, and most preferably at a flow rate of at least 1000 Nm ³ /h, based on an amount of 1000 kg of active material that is fed to the process according to step ii), is blown into the melting unit.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the flow rate of the carrier gas is detected, optionally continuously.

9. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the temperature of the gas phase and / or the exhaust gas, optionally continuously, is detected.

10. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a comprehensive electrolyte fraction is separated from the electrochemical energy storage devices and / or from the comminuted material as

Fluorinating agent is used.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the electrolyte-comprising fraction comprises lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPFe).

12. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fraction comprising active material additionally comprises aluminum (Al) with a maximum proportion of 10.0% by weight.