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JP-2026074636-A - Battery recycling methods

JP2026074636AJP 2026074636 AJP2026074636 AJP 2026074636AJP-2026074636-A

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a recycling method that easily increases the purity of metals to be recycled and recovers them. [Solution] A method for recycling a lithium-ion battery 1 comprising an outer casing 10 and a battery body 20 housed in the outer casing 10, comprising: a groove forming step S31 for forming a groove 13 in the outer casing for breaking the outer casing 10; an initial breaking step S33 for performing initial breaking at a weakened portion 14 formed in the outer casing 10; and a breaking step for breaking the outer casing 10 at the groove 13 via the broken weakened portion 14, thereby removing the battery body 20 from the outer casing 10 and recycling the battery. Preferably, the groove 13 is set to have a width of 0.1 to 5 mm, and the weakened portion 14 is set to have a width of 0.1 to 5 mm, and preferably the thickness t2 of the outer casing 10 at the position where the weakened portion is formed is 0.4 times or less, preferably 0.2 times or less, and most preferably 0.1 times or less, the thickness t of the outer casing 10. [Selection Diagram] Figure 1

Inventors

  • 長尾 丈太郎
  • 執行 大輔

Assignees

  • 東洋製罐グループホールディングス株式会社

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20241021

Claims (13)

  1. A method for recycling a battery comprising an outer casing and a battery body housed within the outer casing, A groove forming step in which grooves are formed in the outer casing for breaking the outer casing, A battery recycling method comprising: an initial fracture step of performing an initial fracture at a weakened portion formed in the outer casing; and a fracture step of fracturing the outer casing at the groove through the fractured weakened portion, wherein the battery body is removed from the outer casing and the battery is recycled.
  2. The battery recycling method according to claim 1, characterized in that the thickness of the outer casing in the portion where the weakened portion is formed is thinner than the thickness of the outer casing in the portion where the groove is formed.
  3. The battery recycling method according to claim 1, characterized by comprising a weakening portion formation step for forming the weakened portion on the outer casing.
  4. The battery recycling method according to claim 1, characterized in that the groove is formed so that the groove and the weakened portion are continuous.
  5. The battery recycling method according to claim 1, characterized in that the initial rupture step involves pressing the area near the weakened portion of the outer casing to perform the initial rupture of the weakened portion.
  6. The battery recycling method according to claim 1, characterized in that the initial rupture step involves pressing the outer casing to increase its internal pressure, thereby causing the initial rupture of the weakened portion.
  7. The battery recycling method according to claim 1, characterized in that the initial rupture step involves applying a chemical solution to the weakened portion to perform the initial rupture of the weakened portion.
  8. The battery recycling method according to claim 1, characterized in that the initial rupture step involves heating the outer casing to increase its internal pressure, thereby causing the initial rupture of the weakened portion.
  9. The battery recycling method according to claim 1, characterized in that the initial rupture step is performed by cutting the weakened portion of the outer casing.
  10. The battery recycling method according to claim 1, further comprising a heating step of heating the removed battery body.
  11. The battery recycling method according to claim 10, characterized in that, in the heating step, the winding body consisting of electrodes and separators constituting the battery body is unwound before heating.
  12. The battery recycling method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the battery has a negative terminal and a positive terminal on one of the ceiling surfaces constituting the outer casing, and the weakened portion and the groove are formed on a side surface continuous with the ceiling surface.
  13. In the groove forming step, two grooves are formed on the side surface of the exterior body. The battery recycling method according to claim 1, characterized in that in the initial rupture step, the initial rupture is performed at the weakened portion connected to either of the two grooves, and thereafter, in the rupture step, the wall surface of the outer casing between the grooves is peeled off and ruptured along the grooves.

Description

This invention relates to a method for recycling batteries. In recent years, recycling efforts have become more important than ever, and various methods have been proposed for recycling batteries to recover valuable metals used in the electrodes of batteries such as lithium-ion batteries. For example, the battery recycling method described in Patent Document 1 is known. In the battery recycling method described in Patent Document 1, the battery pack is roasted in a non-oxidizing or reducing atmosphere, causing thermal decomposition of the resin and insulating materials inside the battery pack, thereby creating an electrical short circuit and discharging within the battery pack. After roasting, the battery pack is separated into battery packs and other components, and the separated single cells (lithium-ion secondary batteries) are crushed in a crushing process, crushing the roasted batteries together with the casings of the single cells, and the crushed material is sieved to recover the valuable metals. Patent No. 5487930 A schematic perspective view of the lithium-ion battery to be recycled in Embodiment 1.A flowchart illustrating each step of the recycling method according to Embodiment 1.A flowchart illustrating the battery disassembly process in Embodiment 1.A schematic perspective view of a lithium-ion battery illustrating the grooves and weakened portion of Embodiment 1.A schematic partial cross-sectional view of a lithium-ion battery illustrating the grooves and weakened portion of Embodiment 1.A schematic perspective view of a lithium-ion battery illustrating the initial fracture process of Embodiment 1.A schematic perspective view of a lithium-ion battery to illustrate the fracture process of Embodiment 1.A schematic perspective view of a lithium-ion battery illustrating the grooves and weakened portion of Embodiment 2.A schematic perspective view of a lithium-ion battery illustrating the fracture process of Embodiment 2.A schematic partial perspective view of a lithium-ion battery to illustrate the grooves and weakened areas of a modified example.A schematic partial perspective view of a lithium-ion battery to illustrate the grooves and weakened areas of a modified example.A schematic partial cross-sectional view of a lithium-ion battery to illustrate the weakened portion of a modified example. (Embodiment 1) The battery recycling method of this embodiment will be explained with reference to Figures 1 to 7. The batteries to which the battery recycling method of this embodiment applies are not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, for example, the lithium-ion battery 1 shown in Figure 1 is used. The lithium-ion battery 1 of this embodiment is used as a lithium-ion secondary battery that constitutes an in-vehicle battery pack, and the battery pack is made up of multiple lithium-ion batteries 1 connected in series or in parallel. By implementing the recycling method of this embodiment on battery packs collected as waste, valuable metals can be recovered with high efficiency. The lithium-ion battery 1 is of a type called a prismatic cell and has a hexahedral shaped outer casing 10. The outer casing 10 comprises a case 11 in which the battery body 20 is housed and a top surface 12 that seals the case 11. The top surface 12 and the case 11 are sealed together by welding or the like. The battery body 20 has a wound body 21 and an electrolyte inside and is sealed. The wound body 21 is composed of a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator provided between them, which are wound together (not shown). In addition, two terminals 30 (positive electrode terminal and negative electrode terminal) are provided on the top surface 12 of the outer casing 10, and these terminals 30 are fixed to the battery body 20 so as to connect to the positive electrode and negative electrode that constitute the wound body 21 within the outer casing 10, respectively. In this embodiment, case 11 is made of aluminum with a thickness of approximately 0.5 to 1.0 mm, and the ceiling surface 12 is made of aluminum with a thickness of approximately 2 mm or more. The battery recycling method of this embodiment will be explained using Figure 2. To ensure safety during the work, the battery recycling method consists of a discharge step S10, in which the collected battery pack is discharged; a pack disassembly step S20, in which the discharged battery pack is disassembled to obtain individual lithium-ion batteries 1; a battery disassembly step S30, in which the obtained lithium-ion batteries 1 are disassembled and the outer casing 10 and the wound body 21 are separated; an outer casing recovery step S40, in which the separated outer casing 10 is recovered; a heating step S50, in which the separated wound body 21 is heated; a crushing step S60, in which the heated wound body 21 is crushed; and a recovery step S70, in which the crushed material is sieved to recover the metal. In the discharge step S10, a known discharge