What should we do with waste lithium battery?

For the disposal of used lithium-ion batteries, the correct method is to recover according to the following two reasons: the components of the waste lithium-ion battery are polluted by the environment, and the recycling of the waste lithium-ion battery is economically profitable. According to the survey conducted by Eric Gratz, The value of each ton of used lithium-ion battery is $7708. Therefore, it is profitable for the recycler to choose the right process while ensuring sufficient raw materials.

There are currently two ideas for recycling used batteries: the traditional recycling idea is to separate various metal elements and make metal salts for sale, such as lithium carbonate and lithium oxalate. This kind of thinking is suitable for small-scale recycling factories because it is simple and convenient. The current popular idea is the so-called closed-loop processes. After a battery is discarded, the manufacturer will recycle it and re-create it. The battery is re-invested in the market.

Although this idea sounds very attractive, as far as I know, there is currently no big battery manufacturer to use it. The recycling process of waste lithium ion batteries is divided into two processes: wet process and fire process. Industrially, the fire process is relatively mature and widely used, for example, the melting process in the CaO-SiO2-Al2O3 type shaft furnace of Umicore Company. However, from the research situation of the laboratory, the wet method is still the mainstream.

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