Pneumatic separation for crushed spent lithium-ion batteries

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Engineering
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) pose environmental challenges due to plastic separator pollution.
• Efficient separation of valuable components like current collectors and harmful separators is crucial for sustainable LIB recycling.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate pneumatic separation as a novel method for separating current collectors and separators from spent LIBs.
• To assess the feasibility and efficiency of pneumatic separation for LIB recycling, mitigating plastic pollution.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical calculations of suspension velocities for current collectors and separators.
• Utilizing a novel Z-shaped pneumatic separator for component separation.
• Conducting experiments on manually cut samples and industrial-scale LIB materials.
• Employing computer simulations to analyze the separation dynamics within the pneumatic separator.

Main Results:

• Pneumatic separation demonstrated high efficiency (approx. 100%) for manually cut samples under specific size (3-4 cm) and airflow velocity (6.96-7.8 m/s) conditions.
• Industrial experiments achieved high recovery rates for current collectors (approx. 99.23%) and separators (approx. 98.64%).
• Computer simulations revealed that turbulence and high-speed zones within the separator enhance the separation process.

Conclusions:

• Pneumatic separation is a highly promising and efficient technology for separating current collectors and separators from spent LIBs.
• This method offers a viable solution to reduce plastic pollution associated with LIB waste.
• The study validates the effectiveness of pneumatic separation for industrial-scale LIB recycling.