A new way to reclaim cathode materials used in lithium batteries for use in new batteries

A combined squad of researchers from the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) and artillery shaper A123 Systems has developed a caller mode to reclaim immoderate of the materials from the cathodes that are utilized successful lithium batteries, which tin past beryllium utilized to marque caller batteries. In their insubstantial published successful the diary Joule, the radical claims the process tin beryllium utilized to marque caller batteries that are much businesslike than batteries made with recently mined metals.

Currently, precise fewer caller batteries are made utilizing materials recycled from aged batteries—instead, old, dormant batteries upwind up successful landfills and caller batteries are made utilizing caller materials. In this caller study, the researchers person recovered that it is imaginable to usage astatine slightest immoderate of the materials successful aged batteries to marque caller ones. They person developed a recycling system that tin region the metals utilized successful the cathodes of lithium batteries, specifically the metals—nickel, manganese and cobalt.

The method begins with discharging the batteries. Next, the batteries are shredded and sent done a sieve wherever materials from the case, wires, plastics and different parts of the artillery are removed. The resulting substance holds cathode materials, different metals and immoderate graphite. These materials are separated utilizing some filtering and leaching. The output is nickel, manganese and cobalt successful pulverization form. The researchers enactment that the powders tin beryllium utilized to make caller cathodes for caller batteries. They besides enactment that nether a microscope, particles successful the pulverization had larger pores than metals taken straight from a mine, and they were besides little brittle. They enactment that much porous metals marque amended batteries due to the fact that they alteration amended ion diffusion. They are besides little apt to ace aft repeated charging and discharging.

The researchers besides made batteries utilizing their recycled worldly and tested them utilizing a protocol developed by USABC. They recovered they performed arsenic good arsenic oregon amended than batteries made with virgin metals. Also, immoderate of the members of the squad person formed a startup called Battery Resources and they person already started selling their recycled materials. They person plans to physique a installation susceptible of processing 10,000 tons of batteries a twelvemonth by the extremity of adjacent year.

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