Concepts for the Sustainable Hydrometallurgical Processing of End-of-Life Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) Batteries

Marius Müller (), Hüseyin Eren Obuz, Sebastian Keber, Firat Tekmanli, Luka Nils Mettke and Bengi Yagmurlu
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Marius Müller: Institute of Mineral and Waste Processing, Recycling and Circular Economy Systems, Clausthal University of Technology, 38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany
Hüseyin Eren Obuz: Institute of Mineral and Waste Processing, Recycling and Circular Economy Systems, Clausthal University of Technology, 38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany
Sebastian Keber: Institute of Mineral and Waste Processing, Recycling and Circular Economy Systems, Clausthal University of Technology, 38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany
Firat Tekmanli: Institute of Mineral and Waste Processing, Recycling and Circular Economy Systems, Clausthal University of Technology, 38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany
Luka Nils Mettke: Institute of Mineral and Waste Processing, Recycling and Circular Economy Systems, Clausthal University of Technology, 38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany
Bengi Yagmurlu: Institute of Mineral and Waste Processing, Recycling and Circular Economy Systems, Clausthal University of Technology, 38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 24, 1-18

Abstract: Lithium-ion batteries with an LFP cell chemistry are experiencing strong growth in the global battery market. Consequently, a process concept has been developed to recycle and recover critical raw materials, particularly graphite and lithium. The developed process concept consists of a thermal pretreatment to remove organic solvents and binders, flotation for anode–cathode separation, and hydrometallurgical processes for product recovery. It has been shown that a pretreatment step is necessary for efficient flotation. By increasing the thermal treatment temperatures up to 450 °C, recovery rates of up to 73% are achieved. Similar positive effects are observed with leaching, where leaching efficiencies increase with higher treatment temperatures up to 400 °C. The results indicate that the thermal treatment of the black mass significantly influences both flotation and hydrometallurgical processes.

Keywords: lithium-ion batteries; lithium iron phosphate; black mass; recycling; recovery; flotion; hydrometallurgy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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