A Study on the Effect of Particle Size on Li-Ion Battery Recycling via Flotation and Perspectives on Selective Flocculation

The recycling of active materials from Li-ion batteries (LIBs) via froth flotation has gained interest recently. To date, recycled graphite has not been pure enough for direct reuse in LIB manufacturing. The present work studied the effect of particle sizes on the grade of recycled graphite. Further...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Batteries (Basel) 2023-01, Vol.9 (2), p.68
Main Authors: Rinne, Tommi, Araya-Gómez, Natalia, Serna-Guerrero, Rodrigo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Batch flotation
direct recycling
Dispersants
Distribution
Electrodes
Entrainment
Flocculants
Flocculation
Flotation
froth flotation
Graphite
Lithium cells
Lithium-ion batteries
Minerals
Particle size
Polymers
Purity
Rechargeable batteries
Recycling
selective flocculation
Selectivity
Ultrafines
Waste management
Zeta potential
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Summary:The recycling of active materials from Li-ion batteries (LIBs) via froth flotation has gained interest recently. To date, recycled graphite has not been pure enough for direct reuse in LIB manufacturing. The present work studied the effect of particle sizes on the grade of recycled graphite. Furthermore, selective flocculation is proposed as a novel approach to control particle sizes and thus improve graphite grade by preventing the entrainment of cathode components. Zeta potential and particle size measurements were performed to find an optimal pH for electrically selective flocculation and to study the interaction of flocculants, respectively. Batch flotation experiments were performed to investigate the effect of particle size on the purity of the recovered graphite. Results suggested that, in the absence of ultrafine fine particles, battery-grade graphite of 99.4% purity could be recovered. In the presence of ultrafine particles, a grade of 98.2% was observed. Flocculating the ultrafine feed increased the grade to 98.4%, although a drop in recovery was observed. By applying a dispersant in addition to a flocculant, the recovery could be increased while maintaining a 98.4% grade. Branched flocculants provided improved selectivity over linear flocculants. The results suggest that particle size needs to be controlled for battery-grade graphite to be recovered.
ISSN:2313-0105
2313-0105
DOI:10.3390/batteries9020068