KR-20260066418-A - BATTERY SHREDS, BATTERY DISPOSAL METHOD, AND BATTERY DISPOSAL SYSTEM

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery shredder, a method for processing a battery, and a waste battery processing system. The battery shredder is a battery shredder comprising a positive electrode and a negative electrode, and comprises copper, wherein at least a portion of the copper is disposed on the negative electrode, and the shape of the copper disposed on the negative electrode is circular or elliptical, and the ratio of the copper is 4.3% or less based on 100% of the negative electrode.

Inventors

• 한상우
• 이주승
• 이환석
• 송현직
• 강종훈

Assignees

• 포스코홀딩스 주식회사

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20241104

Claims (20)

1. As a battery shredder including a positive electrode and a negative electrode, Contains copper, At least some of the copper is disposed on the surface of the cathode graphite, and The shape of the copper placed on the above cathode has a circular or elliptical shape, and Battery shredder in which the ratio of copper disposed on the above cathode is 4.3% or less based on 100% of the above cathode.
2. In Article 1, The copper above is a battery fragment placed by leaching into the cathode.
3. In Article 1, Battery fragmentation in which the ratio of copper disposed on the above cathode is 4.0% or less based on 100% of the above cathode.
4. In Article 1, Battery crushed material having an average copper particle size (D50) of 1 to 7 μm.
5. The present invention relates to a waste battery processing method for manufacturing black mass by processing a waste battery that satisfies a first voltage, which is a cell unit voltage of a predetermined range. A first electric discharge step for electrically discharging the above waste battery; A second electric discharge step for electrically discharging the waste battery satisfying a second voltage lower than the first voltage; and A waste battery disposal method comprising the step of crushing the waste battery.
6. In Article 5, A waste battery treatment method in which the first electric discharge step is performed in the range of 0.1 to 2.5 V/h.
7. In Article 5, A method for processing a battery in which the second electric discharge step is a step of preventing voltage recovery of the waste battery that has undergone the first electric discharge step.
8. In Article 5, A method for handling a battery in which the first voltage above is greater than 0.5 V.
9. In Article 5, A method for processing a battery in which the second voltage is 0.5 V or less.
10. In Article 5, The above second electric discharge step is a method for processing a battery using a resistive object having a resistance value higher than copper.
11. In Article 10, A method for handling a battery having a resistance value of 1.68 * 10⁻⁸ ohm-m or greater.
12. In Article 5, The above second electric discharge step is a method for processing a battery that performs a resistance discharge.
13. In Article 5, The step of crushing the waste battery is a method for processing batteries in which the waste battery discharged to 1.0 V or less based on the cell is crushed.
14. In Article 5, The waste battery that has undergone the second electric discharge step may include a step of atmospheric treatment, and The above-mentioned standby processing step is a method for processing a battery that is performed for more than 3 hours.
15. In Article 1, A method for processing batteries comprising the step of classifying battery shreds generated from the step of shredding the waste batteries above.
16. In Article 1, A method for processing a battery, comprising the step of drying the battery shreds generated from the step of shredding the waste battery at 150°C or lower.
17. In Article 1, A method for processing batteries in which the proportion of copper in the battery shredder generated from the step of shredding the waste battery is 4.0% or less based on 100% of the negative electrode.
18. In Article 17, The above copper is a method for processing a battery having a circular or elliptical shape.
19. The present invention relates to a waste battery processing system for manufacturing black mass by processing waste batteries that satisfy a first voltage, which is a cell unit voltage of a predetermined range. A first discharge unit that electrically discharges a waste battery having a first voltage; A second discharge unit that electrically discharges the waste battery satisfying a second voltage lower than the first voltage; and A waste battery processing system including a waste battery crushing unit for crushing the above waste batteries.
20. In Article 19, A waste battery processing system in which the first voltage above is greater than 0.5 V.

Description

Battery Shreds, Battery Disposal Method, and Battery Disposal System The present invention relates to waste battery recycling, and more specifically to battery shreds generated from waste battery recycling, a battery processing method, and a battery processing system. Battery demand is rapidly increasing as they are widely used not only in electronic devices such as smartphones and mobile devices but also in electric vehicles. The demand for these batteries is expected to rise further as the demand for electric vehicles increases as the next-generation mode of transportation. Since the aforementioned electric vehicle requires a battery with a large electrical capacity, it is installed and used in the vehicle in units of multiple battery cells, modules composed of multiple battery cells, and packs composed of multiple modules. As the usage of the electric vehicle increases rapidly, the amount of waste generated from batteries used in the electric vehicle is also increasing. Recently, the issue of disposing of lithium-ion batteries, such as waste electric vehicle batteries, has emerged globally. These lithium-ion batteries pose fire hazards due to organic solvents and contain explosive substances as well as heavy metals such as Ni, Co, Mn, and Fe. Among these, Ni, Co, Mn, and Li are valuable metals with scarcity and utility value; therefore, the recovery and recycling processes following the disposal of these lithium-ion batteries have become critical issues. The first step in the lithium-ion battery recycling process is to produce black powder or black alloy, which are intermediate products fed into the subsequent wet treatment process. At this time, pretreatment is very important to minimize chemical energy reactions in order to safely crush the lithium-ion battery. Various methods such as salt discharge, electric discharge, or cryogenic treatment are utilized as pretreatment methods, and can be broadly divided into dry treatment methods and wet treatment methods. In the case of salt discharge, which is a representative example of the above wet treatment method, it is a treatment method that uses salt water with a solvent such as sodium chloride, has a low risk of fire, and is easy to access in the early stages of development due to the low difficulty of technology development. However, in the case of the above salt discharge, there is a problem of wastewater generation and contamination by the solvent. Electric discharge methods, which are representative examples of the above dry processing methods, include reversible discharge, which is discharge condition up to the standard reduction potential within the battery, and irreversible discharge, which is discharge below the standard reduction potential. Generally, the standard reduction potential of the positive and negative electrodes of a typical ternary NCM battery is about 2.5 V. When an irreversible discharge is performed at a value of 2.5 V or lower, there is a problem in that the SEI layer on the surface of the negative electrode material decomposes, causing the battery's performance characteristics to deteriorate. At this time, the electrolysis of the copper (Cu) current collector is determined by the speed of the electric discharge. In the case of the electric discharge mentioned above, there are resistance discharge, which discharges by allowing electricity to flow through the positive and negative electrodes using electrically conductive materials, and potential difference discharge, which forces electrons to flow by applying a larger potential difference between the positive and negative electrodes. Specifically, in potential difference discharge, a 220 to 440 V power source is lowered through a transformer using a discharger, and this voltage is higher than that of the battery. At this time, the magnitude of the voltage may be controlled to fix the current, or conversely, the voltage may be fixed while varying the current. The discharger supplies current at a voltage higher than that of the battery; at this time, the discharger supplies a relatively high voltage along with the battery's current, causing the battery to discharge. Thus, the principle of potential difference discharge is to discharge by utilizing the potential difference between the discharger and the battery. The above resistance discharge is a method of continuously lowering the potential difference so that the voltage within the battery becomes 0 V when there is residual voltage within the battery. At this time, if a resistor, such as a resistor, is connected, the voltage within the battery may be removed by resistance heat. Although the above resistance discharge does not cause electrolysis of the copper current collector due to its slow discharge rate, it has the problem of requiring a very long processing time. Since the above potential difference discharge forcibly flows electrons from the negative electrode to the positive electrode, positively charged lithium ions also flow