US-12620643-B2 - Recycling all solid-state batteries (ASSBs) and anode recovery

Abstract

A method for recycling All solid state batteries (ASSBs), the method including: receiving a recycling stream of ASSBs comprising an electrolyte comingled with at least one charge material; introducing a passivating substance for neutralizing an undesired reaction or discharge of the charge materials from the batteries defining the recycling stream; agitating the batteries in the recycling stream in the presence of the passivating substance for liberating the charge materials and electrolyte stored therein; and recovering the charge material and the electrolyte from the agitated batteries, and such that the passivating substance combines with the agitated batteries for generating a beneficial product thereby recycling ASSBs.

Inventors

• Eric Gratz
• Yan Wang

Assignees

• Ascend Elements, Inc.

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20220627

Claims (19)

1. 1 . A method for recycling All solid state batteries (ASSBs), the method comprising: receiving a recycling stream of ASSBs comprising an electrolyte comingled with at least one charge material; introducing a passivating substance for neutralizing an undesired reaction or discharge of the charge materials from the batteries defining the recycling stream; agitating the batteries in the recycling stream in the presence of the passivating substance for liberating the charge materials and electrolyte stored therein, further comprising prior to agitating, puncturing the ASSBs and injecting the passivating substance; and recovering the charge material and the electrolyte from the agitated batteries, and wherein the passivating substance combines with the agitated batteries for generating a beneficial product thereby recycling ASSBs.
2. 2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the batteries further comprise a metal-based anode and a cathode.
3. 3 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein the metal-based anode is reactive in a non-inert environment.
4. 4 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein the passivating substance mitigates harmful reaction with the metal-based anode and is involved in a beneficial reaction for producing the beneficial product.
5. 5 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein the solid-state electrolyte is a lithium metal.
6. 6 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising prior to introducing, sorting the recycling stream of ASSBs based on a type of solid-state electrolyte.
7. 7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the passivating substance is at least one selected from: a reducing gas, and an inert gas.
8. 8 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein the reducing gas is at least one selected from: carbon dioxide, air, nitrogen, and hydrogen sulfide.
9. 9 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein the inert gas comprises at least one of: helium, argon, neon, xenon, krypton, and radon.
10. 10 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the passivating substance comprises air and argon.
11. 11 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein a percentage of the reducing gas in the passivating substance is at least 99%, or at least 95%, or at least 90%, or at least 85%, or at least 80%, or at least 75%, or at least 70%.
12. 12 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein a percentage of the inert gas in the passivating substance is at least 1%, or at least 5%, or at least 10%, or at least 15%, or at least 20%, or at least 25%, or at least 30%.
13. 13 . The method according to claim 1 further comprising after agitating, sieving the charge materials and beneficial product.
14. 14 . The method according to claim 13 further comprising after sieving, washing the beneficial product with water to dissolve the beneficial product and purifying the beneficial product.
15. 15 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the ASSBs is in at least one form selected from: stacked, pouched, folded pouch, and cylindrical roll.
16. 16 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the beneficial product obtained is at least one selected from: a lithium carbonate precursor, lithium nitride, lithium hydroxide, lithium carbonate, lithium oxalate, hydrogen, and lithium sulfide.
17. 17 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the batteries in the recycling stream have a chemistry based on NMC (nickel, manganese, cobalt) for a cathode material.
18. 18 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein agitating further comprises at least one of: shredding, hammering, and pulverizing.
19. 19 . The method according to claim 17 , further comprising separating the NMC and current collectors by at least one process selected from: eddy current, and froth flotation.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. provisional application No. 63/215,410 filed Jun. 25, 2021, having the title, “Recycling all solid-state batteries (ASSBS)” by inventors, Eric Gratz and Yan Wang, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. BACKGROUND All solid-state batteries (ASSBs) are expected to represent a growth industry for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, recycling aspects for ASSBs are underexplored and would be significant as supply/demand projections will eventually result in unprecedented amounts of disposed LIBs, especially from the automotive sector. The current state of LIB recycling is inadequate, and the incorporation of lithium-metal anodes and solid electrolyte chemistries in ASSBs will pose additional challenges. Therefore, recycling viability and waste management should have a guiding role in ASSB development toward commercialization. Therefore, there is a need for novel methods for recycling ASSBs which are cost effective and economically viable for safe disposal of ASSBs, waste management, recovery of critical materials required for ASSBs and sustainable use of resources. SUMMARY Ever since their commercialization in the early 1990s, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have become an integral part of society. The electrochemical activity of lithium, combined with its low atomic mass and size, allows for superior advantages in energy and power density compared with other comparable battery chemistries. In the pursuit of better electrochemical performance, longevity, and safety for more demanding applications, it is expected that a significant portion of future LIBs will be composed of all solid-state batteries (ASSBs). ASSBs, contain a solid-state electrolyte (SSE) rather than a conventional non-aqueous liquid electrolyte. ASSBs demonstrate significant advantages over current LIBs and the mechanical integrity of the SSE can inhibit dendritic growth to various degrees, enabling the possibility of energy-dense lithium metal anodes. SSE chemistries generally provide superior thermal and electrochemical stability compared with LIBs with nonaqueous electrolytes, allowing for a wider voltage window. Therefore, SSE results in increased cell energy density, increased battery pack-specific and volumetric energy density by reducing the required amount of thermal management and cell support/housing infrastructure at the battery pack level, which can also make up 20% of the cost of an electric vehicle (EV) battery pack. LIBs are used extensively for portable electronics and continue to find use for newly developing applications, such as electric vehicles, E-bikes, and grid storage in conjunction with alternative energy generation. The addition of these new markets with the continued growth of established markets projects for an exponential increase in demand for lithium and other materials critical in the manufacture of LIBs. Along with consideration of how industry can handle the required production, there must be consideration of the subsequent growth in waste generated as LIBs reach their end-of-life cycle and are discarded. The status quo is not sustainable due to the limited natural supply of critical materials, such as lithium and cobalt, and current end-of-life measures lack economically viable large-scale recycling systems for disposed LIBs. Currently adopted LIB recycling typically focuses on materials recovery of metals in the cathode with various degrees of efficiency and significant irrecoverable losses of electrolyte and lithium. Along with needed improvements in recovery yield, these processes are not yet economically viable and can either produce significant amounts of waste themselves or generate greenhouse gases. Lack of foresight in recycling, both in infrastructure and legislation, has led to only ˜5% of possible LIBs being recycled in the USA. This is in significant contrast to lead-acid batteries, which are currently recycled and recovered at much higher rates—near 99%. Therefore, development into an economically viable and efficient system of recycling for next-generation LIBs is imperative. As ASSBs are still in the development phase and not yet in mass production, there is a significant opportunity to proactively plan and develop recycling processes for a sustainable system. An aspect of the invention described herein provides a method for recycling All solid state batteries (ASSBs), the method including: receiving a recycling stream of ASSBs comprising an electrolyte comingled with at least one charge material; introducing a passivating substance for neutralizing an undesired reaction or discharge of the charge materials from the batteries defining the recycling stream; agitating the batteries in the recycling stream in the presence of the passivating substance for liberating the charge materials and electrolyte stored therein; and recovering the charge material and the electrolyte from the agitated batteries