Apparatus and process for thermal treatment of raw material containing lithium compounds and phosphorus compounds, method of recovering lithium and/or phosphorus from residue material of lithium-ion batteries

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for thermal treatment of a raw material containing lithium compounds and phosphorus compounds, a process for thermal treatment of a raw material containing lithium compounds and phosphorus compounds and a method of recovering lithium and/or phosphorus from residue material of lithium-ion batteries. The apparatus for thermal treatment of a raw material containing lithium compounds and phosphorus compounds comprises an inductively heated, packed bed reactor comprising a reactor body at least partially made of refractory material, the reactor body being surrounded by at least one induction coil, the reactor body being at least partially filled/packed with a susceptor material, the inductively heated packed bed reactor being configured for transferring at least part of the raw material including lithium compounds and/or phosphorus compounds into a gaseous phase and configured for forming a molten phase from another part of the raw material, the inductively heated packed bed reactor comprising one or more gas outlets and a molten phase outlet, and a condenser in fluidic connection with the one or more gas outlets and configured for depositing lithium species from a gaseous phase discharged from the packed bed reactor via the one or more gas outlets and configured for separating the deposited lithium species from an exhaust gas substantially free from lithium species.