• Resources Recycling
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.15-21
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• 2024

The demand for electric vehicles powered by lithium-ion batteries is continuously increasing. Recovery of valuable metals from waste lithium-ion batteries will be necessary in the future. This research investigated the effect of reaction temperature on the lithium recovery ratio from hydrogen reduction followed by water leaching from lithium-ion battery NCM-based cathode materials. As the reaction temperature increased, the weight loss ratio observed after initiation increased rapidly owing to hydrogen reduction of NiO and CoO; at the same time, the H₂O amount generated increased. Above 602 ℃, the anode materials Ni and Co were reduced and existed in the metallic phases. As the hydrogen reduction temperature was increased, the Li recovery ratio also increased; at 704 ℃ and above, the Li recovery ratio reached a maximum of approximately 92%. Therefore, it is expected that Li can be selectively recovered by hydrogen reduction as a waste lithium-ion battery pretreatment, and the residue can be reprocessed to efficiently separate and recover valuable metals.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.211-217
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• 2004

A Li recovery technology has been developed and related experimental verification efforts were carried out to improve the economical viability and environmental friendliness of the 'Advanced Spent Fuel Conditioning Process' being developed at KAERI. This technology is characterized by the combination of 1) the electrolysis of $Li_2O$ in a molten salt by using a porous non-conducting magnesia container at the cathode, 2) the separation of the Li in the container from the molten salt by elevating the container above the level of a molten salt, 3) the transport of the Li in the container by using a vacuum siphon to a separated reservoir. Li was semi-continuously recovered from a LiCl-$Li_2O$ molten salt with a more than 95% yield by using the developed technology.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.91-106
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• 2019

The demand for lithium has increased sharply due to the explosive increase in lithium secondary batteries for environment-friendly vehicles (EV: Electric Vehicle, HEV: Hybrid Electric Vehicle, PHEV: Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle). Traditionally, lithium has been produced mainly from lithium-containing minerals and brine, and recently it also has been recovered along with other valuable metals by recycling cathode materials of lithium secondary batteries. In this study, we comprehensively reviewed various recovering precesses of lithium from lithium-containing substances.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.16-23
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• 2021

Lithium carbonate recovered from the waste solution generated during the lithium secondary battery manufacturing process contains heavy metals such as cobalt, nickel, and manganese. In this study, the recrystallization of lithium carbonate was performed to remove heavy metals contained in the powder and to increase the purity of lithium carbonate. First, the leaching efficiency of lithium carbonate according to pH in the aqueous hydrochloric acid solution was examined, and the effect on the recrystallization of lithium carbonate according to the equivalent and concentration of sodium carbonate was confirmed. As the equivalent and concentration of sodium carbonate increased, the recovery rate of lithium carbonate improved. And the SEM image showed that the crystal shape was changed depending on the reaction conditions with sodium carbonate. Finally, the high purity lithium carbonate of 99.9% or more was recovered by washing with water.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.27-39
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• 2022

The global demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has been continuously increasing since the 1990s along with the growth of the portable electronic device market. Of late, the rapid growth of the electric vehicle market has further accelerated the demand for LIBs. The demand for the LIBs is expected to surpass the supply of lithium from natural resources in the near future, posing a risk to the global lithium supply chain. Moreover, the continuous accumulation of end-of-life LIBs is expected to cause serious environmental problems. To solve these problems, recycling the spent LIBs must be viewed as a critical technological challenge that must be urgently addressed. In this study, recycling LIBs using pyrometallurgical processes and post-processes for efficient lithium recovery are briefly reviewed along with the major accomplishments in the field and current challenges.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.3-8
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• 2010

There is more increasing interest in lithium resources as lithium ion batteries are rapidly becoming the technology of choice for the next generation of Electric Vehicles. In this paper, current status on lithium reserve base, lithium supply and demand is reviewed, and technology for lithium recovery is briefly introduced.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.289-296
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• 2016

The availability of NMP, a solvent used in the manufacturing process of cathode material for lithium ion battery, depends on importation, and the price remains high because of the monopoly of BASF and ISP. For these reasons, most Lithium ion battery manufacturers reuse NMP after recovering it from the exhaust air in the drying process. In Korea, absorption method is mainly used for recovering NMP from the absorption tower using the hydrophilicity of NMP. However, this system has a few disadvantages, such as low purity (80％) of the recovered NMP and 100％ emission due to high water content of the treated gas. In this study, we develop a hybrid NMP recovery system by combining cooling condensation method with concentration method, by which it is possible to obtain an NMP recovery rate of 99.6％, and a high purity (96.1％) of the recovered NMP.

• Clean Technology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.28-36
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• 2024

As demand for electric vehicles increases, the market for lithium-ion batteries is also rapidly increasing. The battery life of lithium-ion batteries is limited, so waste lithium-ion batteries are inevitably generated. Accordingly, lithium was selectively preleached from waste lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO₄, hereafter referred to as the LFP) cathode material powder among lithium ion batteries, and iron phosphate (FePO₄) powder was recovered. The recovered iron phosphate powder was mixed with alkaline sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃) powder and heat treated to confirm its crystalline phase. The heat treatment temperature was set as a variable, and then the leaching rate and powder characteristics of each ingredient were compared after water leaching using Di-water. In this study, lithium showed a leaching rate of approximately 100%, and in the case of powder heat-treated at 800 ℃, phosphorus was leached by approximately 99%, and the leaching residue was confirmed to be a single crystal phase of Fe₂O₃. Therefore, in this study, lithium, phosphorus, and iron components were individually separated and recovered from waste LFP powder.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.51-60
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• 2010

A study on the recovery of cobalt and lithium from Lithium Ion Battery(LIB) scraps has been carried out by a physical treatment - leaching - solvent extraction process. The cathode scraps of LIB in production were used as a material of this experiment. The best condition for recovering cobalt from the anode scraps was acquired in each process. The cathode scraps are dissolved in 2M sulfuric acid solution with hydrogen peroxide at $95^{\circ}C$, 700 rpm. The cobalt is concentrated from the leaching solution by means of a solvent extraction circuit with bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid(D2EHPA) and PC88A in kerosene, and then cobalt and lithium are recovered as cobalt hydroxide and lithium carbonate by precipitation technology. The purity of cobalt oxide powder was over 99.98% and the average particle size after milling was about 10 lim. The over all recoveries are over 95% for cobalt and lithium. The pilot test of mechanical separation was carried out for the recovery of cobalt from the scraps. The $Co_3O_4$ powder was made by the heat treatment of $Co(OH)_2$ and the average particle size was about 10 ${\mu}m$ after grinding. The recovery was over 99% for cobalt and lithium each other and the purity of cobalt oxide was over 99.98%.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.45-50
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• 2012

The room-temperature electrodeposition of metallic lithium was investigated from ionic liquid, 1-methyl-1-propylpiperidinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (PP13TFSI) with lithium bis (trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) as a lithium source. Cyclic voltammograms on gold working electrode showed the possibility of the electrodeposition of metallic lithium, and the reduction current on a gold electrode was higher than the value on platinum and copper. The metallic lithium could be electrodeposited on the gold electrode under potentiostatic condition at -2.4 V (vs. Pt-QRE) and was confirmed by analytical techniques including XRD and SEM-EDS. The dendrite-typed electrodeposits were composed of a metallic lithium and a alloy with gold substrate. And any impurity could be detected except for trace oxygen introduced during handling for the analyses.