When we can no longer reuse lithium-ion batteries, we recycle them. The battery recycling market is projected to grow from USD 26.9 billion in 2023 to USD 54.3 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 10.5%, and as more and more lithium-ion batteries reach the end of their life, the importance of having a recycling program in place is critical. Everything you need to know about lithium battery recycling plant is below.
Three Methods for Discharging Lithium Batteries — First Step of Lithium Battery Recycling
Because of the high reactivity of lithium, recycling requires extra precautions for safety–battery discharging. That is to say, before a battery goes for recycling, it needs to be fully discharged to minimize fire risk. For now, discharging goes through these several ways.
Salt Water Discharge Method of Lithium Batteries
Advantages:
1. Simple and easy: The salt water discharge method is simple to operate and does not require complex equipment or professional technicians to perform.
2. Low cost: As we all know, salt water is a cheap and readily available material. Therefore, the implementation cost of this method is low.
Pay attention:
1. Slow speed: Salt water discharge may take a long time to fully discharge, about 1-2 days.
2. Evaporate the water cleanly: There will have safety hazards if you don’t pay attention on it. Wet batteries may leak, release gas or other dangerous situations.
3. Avoid mixing: Applicable battery types are soft pack, plastic hard shell battery and cylindrical battery. Batteries of other different types or states should not be discharged together to avoid danger.
1. The charged lithium battery is fed into the gap between the needle roller and the groove roller through the feeder. Through rotation and extrusion, the steel needle attached to the needle roller pierces the inside of the battery, causing a short circuit between the positive and negative electrodes, thereby releasing energy and achieving the purpose of discharge. In addition, by adjusting the gap between the two rollers, the discharge requirements of different types of lithium-ion batteries can be met.
2. Attention: It is mainly for 3C product batteries such as soft packs and plastic hard shells.
Needle Discharge Technique for Lithium Batteries
Employing Roll Cutting Discharge for Lithium Batteries
1. The charged lithium battery is evenly fed into the groove roller through the feeder, and rotates between the groove roller and the rolling roller. The blade attached to the rolling roller will cut the battery shell, causing a short circuit between the positive and negative poles, thereby releasing energy consumption and achieving the purpose of discharge. In addition, by adjusting the gap between the two rollers, the discharge requirements of different types of lithium-ion batteries can be met.
2. Attention: The applicable battery is a cylindrical lithium-ion battery.
What is the Recycling Process after Discharging Batteries?
Shredding the Batteries
Batteries are fed into a shredder to break them into smaller pieces. One shred is 10cm long and 4cm wide and the second shred is 3-4cm long and 2cm wide.
Pyrolysis of Batteries
Utilizing high temperature to make the internal components of the battery undergo pyrolysis reaction, it takes one and a half hours and can improve the purity of black powder by 4-5%.
High-temperature cracking technology not only better retains the valuable metal elements inside the battery, such as cobalt, nickel, lithium, etc., and improves the efficiency of battery recycling, but also greatly reduces the emission of hazardous substances that may be produced during the recycling process, and reduces the pollution of the environment.
Separation of Materials
Mechanical or physical separation techniques are employed to isolate different materials like metals, plastics, and the black mass which contains valuable metals like lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese.
At this point, after crushing, several types of substances will be decomposed, in addition to liquid electrolyte and black substances, there are also used to make the battery positive and negative aluminum and copper foil, plastic diaphragm and so on. This is the end of a complete lithium battery recycling process.
What Materials in Lithium Batteries are Recyclable?
Cobalt
black mass
copper-powder
copper powder
Aluminium Powders
Aluminium Powders
Nickel
Nickel
How to Design lithium Battery Recycling Factory?
Below are some of the key aspects that need to be considered in the plant design. These specific design measures will help ensure the efficient, safe, and environmentally friendly operation of the lithium battery recycling facility.
From the Perspective of Process Optimization
From the Perspective of Safety Design
At least one fire extinguisher should be equipped for every 100 m2, and a fire sprinkler system should be installed in key areas. Regularly conduct safety drills once a quarter to ensure that workers are familiar with the operating procedures in emergency situations.
What are the Costs of a Lithium Battery Recycling Plant?
The cost to break the battery down is depend on the volume you want.
1. For a recycling factory with an hourly output of 300 – 500 kg
The price range is between $50,000 and $100,000. The equipment involved includes shredders, crushers, screening machines, and separation equipment, etc. The total floor area spans from 300 to 500 ㎡.
2. When it comes to a recycling factory having an hourly output of 500 – 800 kg
The price range is from $100,000 to $300,000. The total area lies between 500 and 600 ㎡.
3. In the case of a recycling factory with an hourly output of 800 – 1200 kg
The price range is from $300,000 to $450,000. It’s a large automatic recycling prodution line. The total floor area is from 600 to 900 ㎡.
How About Our Customer Feedback of Lithium Battery Recycling Plant?
I’m not sure how to dispose the large amount of waste lithium batteries I had, but SUNRISE gave me good advice and proposal. Building a circular supply chain will help me maintain business stability into the future. Thanks!
By using SUNRISE battery recycling production line equipment, I can not only effectively extract and reuse key materials in batteries, but also significantly reducing raw material procurement costs. I really appreciate for that, SUNRISE helps me a lot…
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