Recovering Valuable Metals from Spent Lithium Ion Battery via a Combination of Reduction Thermal Treatment and Facile Acid Leaching

• DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.8b01805
• Publication Date: 2018-07-03T19:48:01Z
• Authors: Yang Yue; Sun Wei; Bu Yongjie; Zhang Chenyang; Song Shaole; Hu Yuehua
• Keywords: 7. Clean energy; 01 natural sciences; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences

The traditional acid leaching process for releasing valuable metals from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is inefficient and inevitably consumes large amounts of reductants. In this study, a novel process, based on a reduction thermal treatment and reductant-free acid leaching, for recycling valuable metals from spent LIBs has been developed. First, a thermodynamics calculation was performed to judge whether the reducing reaction between LiCoO2 and graphite can occur or not. Then, reduction thermal treatment experiments were conducted. The process was tested by a thermogravimetry/differential thermal analysis method, and reaction products were measured by X-ray powder diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The experimental results agree well with thermodynamics analysis, and the desired CoO and Li2CO3 were obtained under the optimum processing conditions of 600 °C, 120 min, and molar ratio of LiCoO2 to graphite of 2:1. Finally, almost 100% Li and Co were easily leached from the reaction produ...