The
effects of pyrolysis on the composition of the battery cell
materials as a function of treatment time and temperature were investigated.
Waste of Li-ion batteries was pyrolyzed in a nitrogen atmosphere at
400, 500, 600, and 700 °C for 30, 60, and 90 min. Thermodynamic
calculations for the carbothermic reduction of active materials LiCoO2, LiMn2O4, and LiNiO2 by
graphite and gas products were performed and compared to the experimental
data. Ni, Mn, and Co (NMC) cathode materials recovered from spent
Li-ion batteries were also studied. The results indicate that the
organic compounds and the graphite are oxidized by oxygen from the
active material and provide the reductive atmosphere. Such removal
of the organic components increases the purity of the metal bearing
material. Reactions with C and CO(g) led to a reduction
of metal oxides with Co, CoO, Ni, NiO, Mn, Mn3O4, Li2O, and Li2CO3 as the main products.
The reduction reactions transformed the metal compounds in the untreated
LiB black mass to more soluble chemical forms. It was concluded that
the pyrolysis can be used as an effective tool for the battery waste
pretreatment to increase the efficiency of the leaching in hydrometallurgical
processing of the black mass. The results obtained can help to optimize
the parameters in the industrial processing already used for Li-ion
battery recycling, especially if followed by hydrometallurgical treatment.
Such optimization will decrease the energy demand and increase the
metal recovery rate and utilization of the byproducts.
Selective leaching of Li from spent LIBs thermally pretreated by pyrolysis and incineration between 400 and 700 °C for 30, 60, and 90 min followed by water leaching at high temperature and high L/S ratio was examined. During the thermal pretreatment Li2CO3 and LiF were leached. Along with Li salts, AlF3 was also found to be leached with an efficiency not higher than 3.5%. The time of thermal pretreatment did not have a significant effect on Li leaching efficiency. The leaching efficiency of Li was higher with a higher L/S ratio. At a higher leaching temperature (80 °C), the leaching of Li was higher due to an increase in the solubility of present Li salts. The highest Li leaching efficiency of nearly 60% was observed from the sample pyrolyzed at 700 °C for 60 min under the leaching condition L/S ratio of 20:1 mL g−1 at 80 °C for 3 h. Furthermore, the use of an excess of 10% of carbon in a form of graphite during the thermal treatment did not improve the leaching efficiency of Li.
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