How to recycle lithium batteries

Today, most electronic devices such as smart phones, tablets, wearable devices and electric vehicles use rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. However, these lithium batteries service for two to three years, function and efficiency will be degraded and even died. At this time, it is necessary to consider the issue of recycling. A recent study published in the International Journal of Energy Technology and Policy describes a new method for extracting lithium and cobalt from these cells, which make up the bulk of the battery pack.

Program

According to Ataur Rahman, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Malaysian International Islamic University, and Rafia Afroz, Department of Economics, the price of these two metals is increasing due to the need for lithium-ion batteries for the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries. Currently, they have developed a new recycling technology that effectively extracts these metals from waste batteries.

Process

The team used hydrometallurgical technology to recover cobalt and lithium from a 48.8Wh lithium battery during laboratory-grade testing. This process involves first baking the battery in an oven at 700 degrees Celsius, "calcining" cobalt, lithium and copper, destroying organic compounds such as plastics and foam. This calcined material carries metals and metal compounds (salts and oxides), which are then extracted with strong acids, hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid to extract metal ions. The team used hydrogen peroxide as a reducing agent to test whether the reagent could improve the leaching process. They are able to extract lithium at about 50% efficiency and extract cobalt at about 25% efficiency.

Feasibility

Since these metals represent 41% and 8.5% of the weight of the 48.8Wh battery, respectively, the overall extraction rate is higher, and the combination of heat and acid constitutes a commercially viable solution for recycle the electrodes of these batteries.

This leaching metal can then be used to make new batteries or for other industrial applications. This contaminated liquid waste can be further safely recycled.

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