Journal of Power Sources, Vol.345, 78-84, 2017
Direct regeneration of recycled cathode material mixture from scrapped LiFePO4 batteries
A new green recycling process (named as direct regeneration process) of cathode material mixture from scrapped LiFePO4 batteries is designed for the first time. Through this direct regeneration process, high purity cathode material mixture (LiFePO4 + acetylene black), anode material mixture (graphite + acetylene black) and other by-products (shell, Al foil, Cu foil and electrolyte solvent, etc.) are recycled from scrapped LiFePO4 batteries with high yield. Subsequently, recycled cathode material mixture without acid leaching is further directly regenerated with Li2CO3. Direct regeneration procedure of recycled cathode material mixture from 600 to 800 degrees C is investigated in detail. Cathode material mixture regenerated at 650 degrees C display excellent physical, chemical and electrochemical performances, which meet the reuse requirement for middle-end Li-ion batteries. The results indicate the green direct regeneration process with low-cost and high added-value is feasible. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords:Scrapped lithium ion batteries;Lithium iron phosphate;Recycling;Green advance;Cathode material;Regeneration