E-CycLiBatt - Electrochemical Recycling of Lithium-Ion batteries

Project Description

The recycling of batteries is a challenging topic due to the complex mixture of used materials. The objective of the E-CycliBatt project is to develop an electrochemical process for this purpose in which leaching reagents are generated electrochemically on the anode of a flow cell. These leaching reagents are able to efficiently extract all metallic components including cathode materials and current collector foils of battery scrap. Metals can subsequently be recovered by cathodic electrowinning and by employing potentiostatic conditions a separation of metals can be achieved. Lithium will afterwards be separated from the leaching solution by electrodialysis and subsequent precipitation. Insoluble components like graphite remain during this process and can be recycled after separations from binder and separator.

Recovered materials will be investigated regarding their purity by a manifold of methods (ICP-OES, AAS, IR, Raman-spectroscopy) and potential applications will be determined  based on this results and tested.

By using a cyclic process control the consumption of chemicals will be significantly reduced. Especially the separation and recovery of transition metals usually requires large amounts of reagents that are unnecessary in the electrochemical process. It mostly requires electrical energy making it a green and sustainable method if renewable sources are used to power it.

Experimental electrochemical methods and theoretical simulations will be used to optimize process parameters.

The applicability of the method will be verified with demonstrator setup that will also be used to evaluate the potential economic viability.