Spent NCM Lithium-Ion Batteries: Potential Evaluation of Mechanical Pretreatment for Recycling

Recent increases in the demand for automotive lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have led to higher needs for critical materials like lithium, cobalt, nickel, and graphite. Consequently, recovering materials from spent batteries has gained importance. This study aimed to (1) develop a mechanical pretreatm...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Minerals (Basel) 2024-11, Vol.14 (11), p.1155
Main Authors: Camargo, Priscila Silva Silveira, Cardoso, Maryanne Hoffmann, Costantin, Roberta dos Reis, Cenci, Marcelo Pilotto, Sánchez, Felipe Antonio Lucca, Kasper, Angela Cristina, Veit, Hugo Marcelo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Batteries
Carbon dioxide
Cobalt
Decision making
Economics
Electric vehicles
Electrolytes
Energy
Environmental impact
Graphite
Lithium
Lithium-ion batteries
Manganese
Materials recovery
Metals
Nickel
Particle size
Pretreatment
Prices
Recycling industry
Supply and demand
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Summary:Recent increases in the demand for automotive lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have led to higher needs for critical materials like lithium, cobalt, nickel, and graphite. Consequently, recovering materials from spent batteries has gained importance. This study aimed to (1) develop a mechanical pretreatment method for separating and concentrating materials from spent NCM811 cells and (2) evaluate the economic, environmental, and shortage potentials of these fractions. The pretreatment involved grinding and granulometric separation, producing six particle-size fractions. The main novelty of the study was the assessment to identify the particle size fractions which are priorities for recycling for decision-making by recycling companies, optimizing their resources and efforts. Analysis showed that the finest fraction (n < 0.5 mm) had 85% of lithium, 77.4% of cobalt, 75.1% of manganese, and 68.5% of nickel. This fraction represented 40.4% of the processed mass and had the highest economic value (USD 3669/ton NCM cell). This fraction was also prioritized for recycling due to its superior environmental impact (103,788 kg CO2-eq/ton NCM cell) and scarcity considerations. Furthermore, the black mass of NCM was the priority for recycling and had greater economic, environmental, and supply risk potential than the black mass of LFP cells.
ISSN:2075-163X
2075-163X
DOI:10.3390/min14111155