Li-Ion batteries are essential for laptops, mobile phones and electric vehicles, but the resources needed to produce them are limited and their extraction involves environmental and social issues. Recycling these batteries is difficult, but a high-performance Li-Ion recycling line is necessary for the recovery of valuable materials such as copper, cobalt, manganese and lithium at the highest possible purity.

Recycling lithium-ion batteries is essential to prevent pollution and recover valuable materials. Currently, only about 50% of Li-ion batteries are recycled globally, which underlines the need for improvement recycling processes and increasing their efficiency.

In Romania, there are initiatives financed by EU non-refundable funds to open some lithium-ion battery recycling factories, which could contribute significantly to the management of waste and the recovery of materials necessary for the production of Li-Ion batteries.

Cylindrical recycling batteries

Li-ion batteries with hard case

Lithium Ion Batteries with Soft Case

Positive/negative type plates

The main stages in the recycling process of Li-Ion batteries

Recycling lithium-ion batteries is an important step for the recovery of valuable materials and the reduction of environmental impact. The process involves several stages, from battery collection and discharge, to disassembly, shredding, separation and purification. Each stage is designed to maximize the recovery of precious metals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese, while ensuring the safety and sustainability of the process.

Battery collection and discharge

• Used lithium-ion batteries are collected from various sources, such as electronic devices, electrical vehicles or energy storage systems.
• The batteries are inspected to identify possible damage or leakage.
• The batteries are fully discharged to reduce the risk of chemical or thermal reactions during processing. This stage can be achieved by electric discharge, cryogenic frost or immersion in aqueous solutions.

Removing the batteries

• The batteries are disassembled manually or automatically to separate individual cells from other components such as the case, cables and battery management system.
• Dismantled components can be reused or recycled separately, depending on their condition.

Shredding and separation

• The battery cells are mechanically crushed into a fine granulate.
• The granules are separated into different fractions by mechanical processes, such as refining, magnetic separation, or using eddy currents.
• Separate fractions contain materials such as copper, aluminum, plastic and „black mass” (composed of active materials of electrodes such as nickel, magnesium, cobalt, lithium, graphite).

further processing

• The black mass is subjected to additional processes, such as pyrometallurgy (thermal treatment) or hydrometallurgy (a process involving acidic or alkaline solutions), to extract and separate valuable metals, such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese.
• Recovered metals can be used for the production of new lithium-ion batteries or in other industrial applications.

Purification and obtaining end products

• The extracted metals are further purified to meet the required quality standards.
• The final products obtained include metals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper and aluminum, which can be reintroduced into the production cycle.

It is important to note that some stages, such as the pyrometallurgical or hydrometallurgical treatment of the black mass, may vary depending on the specific technology used by each recycling facility. 

Recycled Aluminum from Li-Ion Batteries

Copper recycled from Li-ion batteries

Black mass recycled from Li-ion batteries

Separate materials from the recycling of Li-Ion batteries

How are precious materials extracted from Li-Ion batteries?

Pyrometallurgy

Pyrometallurgy involves heat treatment of batteries to separate valuable metals. The process includes the following steps:

• Battery shredding: Batteries are shredded in a hammer mill to get small fragments.
• Melting: The fragments are melted at high temperatures in an oven, where the metals separate from other materials.
• Metal recovery: Valuable metals such as cobalt, nickel and copper are recovered from molten mass.

Pyrometallurgy is effective for metal recovery, but it consumes a lot of energy and produces greenhouse gas emissions.

Hydmetalurgy

Hydmetallurgy uses chemical solutions to dissolve metals in batteries. The stages include:

• Shredded batteries are immersed in acid pools or other chemical solutions to dissolve metals.
• Dissolved metals are precipitated by the solution by adding chemical reagents.
• The precipitated metals are purified to obtain high quality products.

Hydrometallurgy is less energetically intensive than pyrometallurgy, but involves the use of dangerous chemicals.

Ultrasonic technology

Ultrasonic technology uses high-frequency sound waves to accelerate chemical extraction processes. The stages include:

• The batteries are exposed to ultrasonic waves in a chemical solution, which improves the dissolution of metals.
• Dissolved metals are recovered by standard chemical methods.

Ultrasonic technology is effective and can reduce the time it takes for metal extraction.

Li-Ion Batteries Recycling Line – Needed Machines and Production Layout

Machines needed in a complete stream for a Li-ion Battery Recycling Line:

• The first chopping process is carried out by a 2-shaft chopper from which chopped materials with a size of 50 x 100-150 mm will come out
• The shredded material in the first chopper is carried on a strip to the refiner for a much finer secondary chopping, which will reduce the size to about 15 mm
• The chopped material is dried and fed into an air separator for separating heavy material, ferrous and non-ferrous metals from the light material, mostly plastic and black mass
• The paste and black matter are introduced into an intermediate silo and then chopped into powder form
• Ferrous metals are separated by a vibrant magnetic drum screen and non-ferrous metals with the help of an Eddy current separator
• The material is fed to a refiner, the fine fraction consists of black mass (in the proportion of 50-80 %) and is filled in the Big Bags. Oversized material separates into light material and heavy material into a zigzag refiner. The heavy material is collected in a trough under the refiner.
• The light material, on the other hand, is brought to a uniform size with the help of a hammer mill and divided into five fractions by a sieve machine: the undersized material is formed from the black mass, and the three separation units are formed by the copper/aluminum fractions, plastics and ferrous metals