Li Industries, Inc.

Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.

Zheng Li

David Young

Panni Zheng

Tairan Yang

Michael W Ellis

Xu Han

Robert H Sturges

Nolan D Schmidt

Liurui Li

Embodiments described herein relate to removal of aluminum impurities from battery waste. In some aspects, a method for removing aluminum impurities includes preprocessing a quantity of battery waste to improve removal of aluminum impurities from the quantity of battery waste. The method further includes removing at least a portion of the aluminum impurities from the quantity of battery waste, modifying the removed aluminum impurities to form a coating precursor and/or a doping precursor, and applying the coating precursor and/or the doping precursor to an electrode material. In some embodiments, the method further includes characterizing the aluminum impurities in the quantity of battery waste and regenerating the electrode material. In some embodiments, the removing can be via sieving, cyclone separation, air separation, elutriation, and/or dissolution. In some embodiments, the doping precursor can include aluminum hydroxide (Al(OH)). In some embodiments, the regenerating includes applying a heat treatment to the electrode material.

Systems and methods for removal and recycling of aluminum impurities from battery waste

Embodiments described herein relate to methods of recycling battery waste. In some aspects, a method can include applying a first heat treatment at a temperature of between about 100° C. and about 700° C. to the battery waste, the first heat treatment decomposing at least about 80 wt % of the binder, separating the electrode material from the current collector, and applying a second heat treatment at a temperature between about 400° C. and about 1,200° C. to the electrode material to produce a regenerated electrode material, the second heat treatment decomposing at least 90 wt % of binder remaining in the electrode material to produce a regenerated electrode material. In some embodiments, the method can include applying a surface treatment to the electrode material to remove surface coatings and/or surface impurities from the electrode material. In some embodiments, the surface treatment can include applying a solvent to the electrode material.

Methods and systems for scalable direct recycling of battery waste

Embodiments described herein relate to recycling of spent lithium battery material. In some aspects, a method can include suspending a lithium source in a solvent containing an oxidation reagent to extract lithium, forming an extracted lithium solution, separating the extracted lithium solution from residual solids of a lithium source, purifying the extracted lithium solution by precipitating and filtering impurities, and precipitating the lithium in the purified lithium solution to generate lithium carbonate (LiCO). In some embodiments, the method can further include preprocessing the lithium source to improve kinetics of the lithium extraction. In some embodiments, the preprocessing can include a cutting or shredding step to downsize the lithium source. In some embodiments, the lithium source can include lithium-ion battery waste. In some embodiments, the oxidation reagent can include sodium persulfate (NaSO), potassium persulfate (KSO), ammonium persulfate (NH)SO, hydrogen peroxide (HO), ozone (O), and/or nitrous oxide (NO).

Systems and methods for the recycling of lithium from battery waste

A system and method for extracting recyclable material from an object. The system has a station for receiving the object, a station that prepares the object's cover for removal, a station that removes the cover from the object, a station that positions the object with the cover removed for loading, and a station that has one or more extraction devices configured to engage the object and remove the recyclable material therefrom and has one or more collection areas for receiving the removed recyclable material.

System and method for extracting recyclable material

A method includes irradiating an energy storage device using an input radiation characterized by a first electromagnetic spectrum and detecting an output radiation reflected or backscattered by the energy storage device. The method also includes determining a second electromagnetic spectrum of the output radiation and comparing the second electromagnetic spectrum with a reference electromagnetic spectrum. The method further includes generating a sorting instruction based on comparison of the second electromagnetic spectrum with the reference electromagnetic spectrum.

Methods and systems for smart battery collection, sorting, and packaging

A method includes processing at least one battery into a plurality of core sections. Each core section in the plurality of core sections includes an anode section, a cathode section including a cathode material, a separator section disposed between the anode section and the cathode section, and an electrolyte. The method also includes disposing the plurality of core sections into a solvent so as to produce a mixture of cathode materials from the plurality of core sections. The solvent and the electrolyte form an ionic conductive medium, and the mixture of the cathode materials is characterized by a substantially homogeneous distribution of an active element in the cathode material.

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Blacksburg, VA, United States of America

Zheng Li