Hydrometallurgical recycling of EV lithium-ion batteries: Effects of incineration on the leaching efficiency of metals using sulfuric acid
Journal article, 2021

The growing demand for lithium-ion batteries will result in an increasing flow of spent batteries, which must be recycled to prevent environmental and health problems, while helping to mitigate the raw materials dependence and risks of shortage and promoting a circular economy. Combining pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical recycling approaches has been the focus of recent studies, since it can bring many advantages. In this work, the effects of incineration on the leaching efficiency of metals from EV LIBs were evaluated. The thermal process was applied as a pre-treatment for the electrode material, aiming for carbothermic reduction of the valuable metals by the graphite contained in the waste. Leaching efficiencies above 70% were obtained for Li, Mn, Ni and Co after 60 min of leaching even when using 0.5 M sulfuric acid, which can be linked to the formation of more easily leachable compounds during the incineration process. When the incineration temperature was increased (600–700 °C), the intensity of graphite signals decreased and other oxides were identified, possibly due to the increase in oxidative conditions. Higher leaching efficiencies of Mn, Ni, Co, and Li were reached at lower temperatures of incineration (400–500 °C) and at higher leaching times, which could be related to the partial carbothermic reduction of the metals.

Waste valorization

Carbothermic reduction

Incineration

Recycling

Lithium-ion batteries

Hydrometallurgy

Author

Nathalia Cristine Vieceli

Chalmers, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Energy and Material

Raquel Casasola

Envirobat

Gabriele Lombardo

Chalmers, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Energy and Material

Burcak Ebin

Chalmers, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Energy and Material

Martina Petranikova

Chalmers, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Energy and Material

Waste Management

0956-053X (ISSN) 1879-2456 (eISSN)

Vol. 125 192-203

Subject Categories

Materials Chemistry

Other Chemical Engineering

Other Chemistry Topics

DOI

10.1016/j.wasman.2021.02.039

PubMed

33706256

More information

Latest update

3/18/2021