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Mechanical Beneficiation of End-of-Life Lithium-Ion Battery Components

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Energy Technology 2020: Recycling, Carbon Dioxide Management, and Other Technologies

Part of the book series: The Minerals, Metals & Materials Series ((MMMS))

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Abstract

Recycling of end-of-life (EOL) lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is imperative to resolve resource issues and manage waste streams of EOL LIBs. A mechanical-hydrometallurgical recycling route is preferable regarding material recovery and energy consumption, while cost reduction is challenging. Effective mechanical pre-treatment of EOL LIBs to beneficiate LIB components is key to reduce operating cost. In this study, the primary mechanical treatment (shredding and sieving) of LIB packs and the subsequent attrition milling were performed to investigate the liberation and separation of LIB components. The results demonstrated that the separation of LIB components was significantly improved by attrition milling of shredded LIB pieces. Active electrode materials (lithium metal oxide and graphite), metal foils (copper and aluminum), and low-value components (cell/pack casing, separator, plastic, and paper) were enriched in <500 μm, 500 μm to 2 mm, and >2 mm fractions, respectively. A combination of these treatments demonstrates to be a promising method for LIB component beneficiation .

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Utah, 122 South Central Campus Drive #304, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Haruka Pinegar & York R. Smith

Authors
  1. Haruka Pinegar
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  2. York R. Smith
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to York R. Smith .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Xiaobo Chen

  2. Griffith University, Queensland, Australia

    Yulin Zhong

  3. University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK, USA

    Lei Zhang

  4. Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA

    John A. Howarter

  5. University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria

    Alafara Abdullahi Baba

  6. Northeastern University, Shenyang, China

    Cong Wang

  7. Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Ziqi Sun

  8. ArcelorMittal Global R&D, Schererville, IN, USA

    Mingming Zhang

  9. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Elsa Olivetti

  10. The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Alan Luo

  11. Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, USA

    Adam Powell

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Pinegar, H., Smith, Y.R. (2020). Mechanical Beneficiation of End-of-Life Lithium-Ion Battery Components. In: Chen, X., et al. Energy Technology 2020: Recycling, Carbon Dioxide Management, and Other Technologies. The Minerals, Metals & Materials Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36830-2_25

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