Used lithium-ion batteries have a high resource value considering the scarcity of raw materials. They contain valuable materials that could be reused with systematic recycling. The recovery of lithium is currently still expensive and not very profitable. Additionally, current methods, for example the pyrometallurgy or the hydrometallurgy, leave behind harmful by-products and use corrosive reagents. Researchers at the Institute for Applied Materials (IAM-ESS) have developed a more sustainable approach to recovering lithium and transition metals from batteries. High-energy ball milling at room temperature is used to mechanochemically initiate a chemical reaction between cathode materials and aluminum as a reducing agent. The reduction reaction generates reaction products containing water-soluble lithium and aluminum, which are afterwards washed out. After evaporation of the water-soluble fraction, the lithium carbonate is separated from the aluminum oxide by heating and washing again. Transition metals such as cobalt and nickel are present as solid, finely powdered metal composites and can be dissolved in dilute mineral acids at room temperature without the need for additional reducing agents. In a modified process, predominantly water-soluble lithium carbonate can already be generated during the first wash by adding a carbonate source. The process developed is therefore not only environmentally friendly, economical and energy-efficient, but can also be used universally for popular cathode materials. The simple process enables the recovery of valuable battery components and achieves yields of up to 90 percent. As the process was initially developed on a laboratory scale, KIT is actively looking for partners for further development and scaling up. You can get an overview of this technology at KIT stand. More details can be exchanged individually with the responsible scientific employees of KIT after the industry fair.
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