Recently, two associate professors Yang Shun and Yan Xiao from School of Chemistry and Materials Science have made important progress in Recycling Valuable Metals from Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries. The academic achievement was published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, entitled “Recycling Valuable Metals from Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries Using Carbothermal Shock Method”. The first author of the paper is Zhu Xuhui, a graduate student of our university, and the corresponding authors are Yang Shun and Yan Xiao, with Jiangsu Normal University as the corresponding author institution. The paper was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the project fund “National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Functional Adsorption Materials Preparation Technology” of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).
Figure 1. diagram of reduction leaching of lithium-ion battery cathode material by carbothermal shock method
The carbothermal shock (CTS) method, with its uniform temperature distribution, high heating and cooling rates, high temperatures (up to ~2200 ℃), and ultrafast reaction times of ~20 s, was utilized for reducing LiNi0.3Co0.2Mn0.5O2 cathode materials. Li can be selectively leached through water leaching after the CTS process, and Ni, Co, and Mn are recovered by dilute acid (specifically, 0.5 M H2SO4) leaching. The CTS reduction strategy is feasible for various spent cathode materials. The CTS process, with its low energy consumption and potential scale application, provides an efficient and environmentally friendly way for recovering spent lithium-ion batteries.
Link:https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/anie.202300074
Figure 2. XRD patterns of (a) LCO, (b) LMO, (c) NCM111, (d) NCM523, (e) NCM622, and (f) NCM811cathode materials before and after carbothermal shock reduction
Associate professor Yang Shun (http://chem.jsnu.edu.cn/36/c0/c15352a210624/page.htm) is mainly engaged in research related to waste lithium-ion battery recycling and water pollution treatment. In recent years, he has presided over 4 scientific research projects, including the Youth Fund of National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Youth Fund of Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province. He has also published more than 20 SCI papers in domestic and foreign academic journals as the first or corresponding author, such as Advanced Materials, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Small and Nanoscale, and authorized 3 patents for invention.
Associate professor Yan Xiao (http://chem.jsnu.edu.cn/36/c1/c15352a210625/page.htm) is mainly engaged in research on the construction and recycling of electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries. He has presided over 5 scientific research projects, including the Youth Fund of National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Major Project of Natural Science Research of Higher Education in Jiangsu Province. In recent years, he has published more than 30 papers in Angew. Chem. Int. Edit., J. Mater. Chem. A, J. Power Sources, Nanoscale and other journals as the first or corresponding author and authorized 2 patents for invention. His dissertation was named “Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation of Jilin Province”.