Resources Recycling (자원리싸이클링)

The Korean Institute of Resources Recycling (한국자원리싸이클링학회)
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Lithium Ion Battery Recycling Industry in South Korea

국내 리튬이온전지 재활용 산업현황

  • Kyoungkeun Yoo (Department of Energy and Resources Engineering, National Korea Maritime and Ocean University)
  • 유경근 (한국해양대학교 에너지자원공학과)
  • Received : 2023.01.25
  • Accepted : 2023.02.10
  • Published : 2023.02.28
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Abstract

The objective of this article is to summarize the commercial lithium ion battery (LIB) recycling processes in Korea and to suggest new direction for LIB recycling. A representative LIB recycler, SungEel Hitech Co. has successfully operated the LIB recycling process for over 10 years, and new recycling processes were recently proposed or developed by many recycling companies and battery manufacturers. In the new recycling processes, lithium is recovered before nickel and cobalt due to the rapid rise in lithium prices, and metal sulfate solution as final product of recycling process can be supplied to manufacturers. The main problem that the new recycling process will face is impurities, which will mainly come from end-of-life electric vehicles or new additives in LIB, although the conventional processes must be improved for mass processing.

이 글은 현재 국내 리튬이온전지 상용 재활용 공정을 정리하고, 리튬이온전지 재활용 공정의 새로운 방향을 제시한다. 대표적인 리튬이온전지 재활용 업체인 (주)성일하이텍은 10년 이상 리튬이온전지 재활용 공정을 성공적으로 운영해 왔으며 최근 많은 재활용 업체 및 배터리 제조업체들이 새로운 재활용 공정을 제안하고 개발하고 있다. 새로운 재활용 공정에서는 리튬 가격의 급격한 상승으로 니켈과 코발트보다 먼저 리튬이 회수되고, 금속 황산염 용액을 최종 제품으로 배터리 제조업체에 공급하는 특징이 있다. 향후 대량으로 발생할 폐전지 처리를 위해 기존 공정이 개선될 필요가 있으며, 폐기된 자동차와 함께 유입되는 성분들과 리튬이온전지의 새로운 첨가제는 향후 리튬이온전지 재활용 공정에서 주요 공정효율 저감 요인이 될 수 있다.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by the Technology Innovation Program (or Industrial Strategic Technology Development Program. Development of Material Component Technology) (20011176, Development of Advanced Technology in Hydrometallurgy for High Added Value of Resources Recovery) funded by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE, Korea).

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