Lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries have received more attention than any other battery Technology since Sony made the first commercial cell in 1991. Two decades later, they remain widely used and account for about 60% of worldwide sales of portable batteries. Due to their high energy density, long lifespan and lightweight, Li-ion batteries make ideal candidates for use in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs). One reason for the increased use of Li-ion batteries in the vehicle market is the ever-stricter CO2 emission standards automobile manufacturers must meet. However, Li-ion batteries are not widely recycled because current technologies cannot recycle them efficiently. The recycling process developed by the I-Corps team recovers the cathode materials from spent Li-ion batteries; the goal of the process to recover any of the transition metals used in Li-ion battery cathodes. The recovered cathode materials can then be used as precursors for new lithium ion batteries. This results in a closed loop recycling process where old battery materials are used in new batteries.
The customer need is high purity Ni0.33Mn0.33Co0.33(OH)2 or high performance LiNi0.33Mn0.33Co0.33O2 cathode material. In this project, the team combines the recycling process with material synthesis. The high efficient and effective recycling process for Li-ion batteries can guarantee that Ni0.33Mn0.33Co0.33(OH)2 is in high purity and LiNi0.33Mn0.33Co0.33O2 has good electrochemical properties. Since the main focus is on generating new cathode precursors the typical customer for the recycled products are the battery cathode manufacturers. Currently, the proposed project is in the proof-of-concept stage and preliminary results indicate that mixed cathode materials can be recycled with high efficiency, and synthesized cathode materials demonstrate promising electrochemical performance. The team has successfully produced cathode materials (similar to those synthesized with fresh materials) from 1 kg of recycle Li-ion batteries.
