TWI894831B - Method for recycling glaze raw materials from waste batteries - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention sequentially proceeds through a waste battery treatment step, a coagulant treatment step, a solid-liquid separation step, and a pulverization step. A recyclable liquid containing a plurality of recyclable materials is produced from the waste batteries. A plurality of positively charged coagulants are then added to the recyclable liquid. The coagulants adsorb the recyclable materials in the recyclable liquid, forming a wet coagulant. The wet coagulant undergoes solid-liquid separation to remove water, producing a dry coagulant. The dry coagulant contains alkaline earth metals and serves as a glaze raw material. The dry coagulant is then pulverized to produce a plurality of glaze raw materials with particle sizes ranging from 70 μm to 75 μm. This project has several advantages: it can be recycled without destroying the glaze raw materials from used batteries, which is quite unique. It also doubles the recycling efficiency and has an uninterrupted source, thus improving environmental benefits.

Description

Method for recycling glaze raw materials from waste batteries

This invention relates to a method for recycling glaze raw materials from waste batteries, particularly a method for recycling glaze raw materials from waste batteries without destroying them, thereby doubling recycling efficiency, ensuring an uninterrupted source, and improving environmental protection.

The industry is well aware that glaze raw materials (at least those from the alkaline earth metal family) are expensive (ranging from a few thousand to tens of thousands of yuan per kilogram). These materials are generally sourced from at least two sources: First, they are extracted (or reprocessed) from minerals mined from mines. This process requires significant land, manpower, and equipment, resulting in high costs. Mining sites, in particular, are a product of nature, accumulated over many years; they are not something you can simply dig up anywhere with the funds. Second, ash from burning grass and wood is further washed out (or reprocessed) with water. However, washing the glaze raw materials from the ash in this method is quite challenging. Secondly, the large-scale burning process (for example, 10 kg of wood only produces 0.5 kg of ash, and 0.5 kg can only produce less than 0.1 kg of glaze raw materials. You can imagine the amount of burning.) causes serious air pollution. Thirdly, the wood ash after adding water is highly alkaline (and must be further processed before it can be discharged), which seriously affects the environment.

Furthermore, the typical disposal methods for discarded batteries (including at least lithium ternary batteries, lithium iron phosphate batteries, lithium titanium batteries, solid lithium batteries, etc.) are usually at least one of crushing, decomposition, pulverization, rolling, and shredding (collectively referred to as dry processing).

Next, plastics and various metals are sorted for recycling, for example, using strong acid to extract recyclable metals. However, firstly, this recycling method only recovers low-value metals, which is not very effective and is, at best, merely an environmentally friendly sorting measure. Secondly, discarded batteries actually contain glaze raw materials. If these glaze raw materials could be recovered from discarded batteries, it would truly be turning trash into gold. However, the known process of extracting recyclable metals with strong acid not only causes environmental pollution but also destroys the glaze raw materials, making them unrecyclable.

Therefore, there is currently no method for recycling glaze raw materials from waste batteries.

In view of this, it is necessary to develop technologies that can address the above-mentioned shortcomings.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a method for recycling glaze raw materials from discarded batteries. This method combines the advantages of being able to recycle the glaze raw materials without destroying them, doubling the recycling efficiency, ensuring an uninterrupted source, and improving environmental protection. In particular, this invention aims to address the current lack of a method for recycling glaze raw materials from discarded batteries.

The technical solution to the above problem is to provide a method for recycling glaze raw materials from waste batteries, which may include the following steps in sequence: a waste battery treatment step; a slurry treatment step; a solid-liquid separation step; and a pulverization step.

The above-mentioned objects and advantages of the present invention can be more clearly understood from the detailed description and accompanying drawings of the following selected embodiments.

The present invention is described in detail with the following embodiments and accompanying drawings:

1: Waste batteries

11: Battery debris

2: Liquid to be recovered

21: Water

91: Centrifuge

92:Grinding Machine

M1: Recyclables

M2: Coagulant

M3: Wet concrete

M4: Drying concrete

M41: Alkaline earth metals

M5: Concrete powder

S1: Waste battery processing steps

S2: Coagulant treatment step

S3: Solid-liquid separation step

S4: Crushing step

D: Particle diameter

Figure 1 is a flow chart of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a simplified schematic diagram of the present invention showing the conversion of multiple waste batteries into multiple battery fragments.

Figure 3 is a simplified schematic diagram of the present invention for processing multiple battery scraps (recyclables) into a recyclable liquid.

Figure 4 is a simplified schematic diagram of the coagulant of the present invention adsorbing the recovered material to form a wet coagulant.

Figure 5 is a simplified schematic diagram of the present invention showing how wet concrete is removed of water to produce dry concrete (containing alkaline earth metals, which are glaze raw materials).

Figure 6 is a simplified schematic diagram of the pulverization of the dry concrete of the present invention.

Figure 7 is a simplified schematic diagram of the present invention's method of pulverizing dry coagulants to recover multiple coagulant powders.

Referring to Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, the present invention is a method for recycling glaze raw materials from waste batteries, which may include the following steps in sequence:

In a waste battery processing step S1, a plurality of waste batteries 1 are processed into a liquid to be recycled 2 (as shown in Figures 2 and 3). The liquid to be recycled 2 comprises a plurality of recyclable materials M1 and a water solution 21.

A coagulant treatment step S2 involves adding a plurality of positively charged coagulants M2 to the liquid to be recovered 2. The plurality of coagulants M2 adsorb the plurality of recyclable materials M1, transforming them into at least one wet coagulant M3.

A solid-liquid separation step S3 is performed to separate the at least one wet concrete M3 and remove the water 21, thereby converting it into at least one dry concrete M4. The at least one dry concrete M4 contains a plurality of alkaline earth metals M41, which are glaze raw materials.

A pulverization step S4 is performed to pulverize the at least one dried aggregate M4 into a plurality of aggregate powders M5. Each of the plurality of aggregate powders M5 has a particle diameter D, and the particle diameter D is between 70 μm and 75 μm. Finally, the plurality of glaze raw materials having a particle diameter D between 70 μm and 75 μm are recovered.

In practice, in the waste battery processing step S1, each of the plurality of waste batteries 1 can be at least one of a lithium ternary battery, a lithium iron phosphate battery, a lithium titanium battery, ..., or a solid lithium battery.

Furthermore, in the waste battery processing step S1, the plurality of waste batteries 1 can be converted into a plurality of battery scraps 11 through at least one of crushing, decomposition, pulverization, compression, and shredding (all known techniques and omitted for clarity). The plurality of battery scraps 11 includes at least the plurality of recyclable materials M1 (in practice, the shapes, quantities, and sizes of the plurality of battery scraps 11 and the plurality of recyclable materials M1 are shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4 for illustrative purposes only and may vary in practice, as previously stated).

Furthermore, after at least one of the aforementioned crushing, decomposition, pulverization, rolling, and pulverization processes, the aqueous liquid 21 may be added to produce the recovered liquid 2 (in fact, the aqueous liquid 21 may be added before, during, or after any of the aforementioned processes, thereby producing the recovered liquid 2. This is known to the relevant industry and will not be elaborated upon.).

The liquid to be recovered 2 may be wastewater (the term "wastewater" is well known to the relevant industry and will not be elaborated on in detail.)

Regarding the technical means for processing the liquid to be recycled 2 from the plurality of used batteries 1, please refer to: Republic of China Patent Publication No. TW202108512A, "Method and Apparatus for Recovery of Trace Precious Metals and Water Recycling from Inorganic Wastewater," including Patent Scope 9: "Inorganic Wastewater from the Waste Lithium Battery Recycling Industry..."

Alternatively, for example, the Republic of China's Patent Publication No. TW202319548A, which describes a method for recovering rare earths from waste containing rare earth metals, also discloses technologies related to waste liquid and wastewater treatment.

In other words, the treatment of waste liquid (or waste water) generated by spent batteries is a well-known and achievable technical solution within the battery recycling industry.

In practice, the plurality of recyclable materials M1 may be in the form of colloidal feathers (see Republic of China Patent No. 1588099, Sludge Drying Device and Method), which is not conducive to concentration. The plurality of coagulants M2 are advantageous for adsorbing the plurality of recyclable materials M1 in the recyclable liquid 2 to form the at least one wet coagulant M3.

Furthermore, the at least one wet concrete M3 is generally in the form of an irregular mass (see FIG4 ), and the plurality of wet concretes M3 can eventually be aggregated into a mass (see FIG5 ).

The aforementioned mass of wet concrete M3 contains:

10 wt% of the recyclable materials M1; 10 wt% of the coagulants M2; and the remainder being the aqueous solution 21. Of course, the above percentages are for reference only and may actually vary. This is for your information.

The coagulant M2 can be a carbonate (e.g., at least one of calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, ..., or barium carbonate), which is neither a strong acid nor a strong base and thus does not affect environmental protection.

In the solid-liquid separation step S3, the at least one wet coagulant M3 can be subjected to at least one of sedimentation, extrusion, centrifugal rotation, natural drying, and oven drying to remove the contained water 21 (in principle, 80% to 90% of the water 21 can be removed).

When using the extrusion method, a conventional belt filter press can be provided to perform solid-liquid separation on the at least one wet coagulant M3.

When using the centrifugal rotation method, a conventional centrifuge 91 can be provided (see Figure 5 for a simplified schematic diagram of the centrifuge. The shapes, quantities, and sizes of the wet concrete M3, the dry concrete M4, and the alkaline earth metal M41 are for illustration only and may vary in practice, as previously explained). The centrifuge 91 is set at a rotational speed of 900-1000 RPM (950 RPM is generally preferred) for 10 minutes of centrifugal dehydration to achieve solid-liquid separation of the at least one wet concrete M3.

When using the natural drying method, the at least one moist concrete M3 can be exposed to sunlight for 10-15 days (the actual number of exposure days can be flexibly increased or decreased depending on the dryness level) to achieve solid-liquid separation. When using the oven drying method, the at least one moist concrete M3 can be dried (i.e., solid-liquid separation) in a conventional oven at 110-120°C (preferably 115°C) for 10 minutes.

Each of the plurality of alkaline earth metals M41 may be at least one of iron oxide, cobalt sulfate, manganese sulfate, nickel, and titanium oxide.

In the pulverization step S4, a conventional grinder 92 (see FIG. 6 ) can be installed and set at a rotational speed of 900 RPM to 1000 RPM (preferably 950 RPM) for 10 minutes to pulverize the at least one dry aggregate M4 into the plurality of aggregate powders M5 (as shown in FIG. 7 , i.e., the plurality of glaze raw materials) having a particle diameter D between 70 μm and 75 μm.

The multiple glaze raw materials with particle diameter D between 70μm and 75μm can cost at least NT$10,000 per kilogram.

The particle diameter D is preferably 72.5 μm.

Furthermore, the relevant industry is well aware that, in reality, the multiple alkali metal materials M41 (i.e., glaze raw materials) should contain alkali metal components and a shaping agent, and the shaping agent causes the glaze raw materials to take on different forms, such as the dried concrete M4 (irregular shape) and the multiple concrete powders M5 (powdered).

The key point of this case is that, without using strong acid to destroy the alkaline earth metals M41 (i.e., glaze raw materials) in the plurality of spent batteries 1, the recovered liquid 2 is processed from the plurality of spent batteries 1. A positively charged coagulant M2 is then added to the recovered liquid 2. The coagulant M2 adsorbs the plurality of recyclable materials M1 in the recovered liquid 2, forming at least one wet coagulant M3. The water 21 contained in the at least one wet coagulant M3 is then removed, forming at least one dry coagulant M4. The at least one dry coagulant M4 contains the plurality of alkaline earth metals M41, which serves as the glaze raw material. The at least one dry coagulant M4 is further pulverized to obtain a plurality of glaze raw materials having a particle diameter D between 70 μm and 75 μm (i.e., the plurality of coagulant powders M5).

The advantages and benefits of this solution can be summarized as follows:

[1] The glaze raw materials in the waste batteries can be recycled without destroying them, which is quite unique. In this case, without using strong acid to destroy the alkaline metals (i.e., the glaze raw materials) in the multiple waste batteries, the waste batteries are first treated to produce the recovered liquid, and then the multiple positively charged coagulants are added to the recovered liquid. The multiple coagulants can adsorb the multiple recyclable materials in the recovered liquid to form the at least one wet coagulant. After drying and pulverizing, a plurality of glaze raw materials (i.e., the alkaline metals) with a particle size between 70μm and 75μm can be obtained. Therefore, the glaze raw materials in the batteries can be recycled without destroying them, which is quite unique.

[2] Double the recycling benefits. In general, waste battery recycling involves sorting plastics and various metals into separate categories for recycling. The recycling benefits are actually quite low, and at best, they are merely environmentally friendly. It is well known in the relevant field that glaze raw materials are expensive. However, in this case, glaze raw materials are recycled from waste batteries, truly turning trash into gold. Therefore, the recycling benefits are doubled.

[3] The source is endless and can improve environmental benefits. In the future, due to the rapid development of various 3C products, the number of discarded batteries will only increase, not decrease. In addition, people do not want to throw away discarded batteries, so the recycling source in this case (i.e. the waste batteries) is almost free. In addition, the high-priced glaze raw materials are recycled in a way that does not affect the environment (non-strong acid, non-strong alkali, and does not require large-scale incineration), and the environmental protection problem of handling large amounts of waste batteries is solved. It can be said that it is a win-win situation. Therefore, the source is endless and can improve environmental benefits.

The above is merely a detailed description of the present invention through preferred embodiments. Any simple modifications and changes made to the embodiments do not deviate from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

S1: Waste battery processing steps

S2: Coagulant treatment step

S3: Solid-liquid separation step

S4: Crushing step

Claims (7)

A method for recycling glaze raw materials from waste batteries comprises the following steps in sequence: a waste battery treatment step, in which a plurality of waste batteries are treated to form a liquid to be recycled, wherein the liquid to be recycled comprises a plurality of recyclable materials and a water solution; a coagulant treatment step, in which a plurality of positively charged coagulants are added to the liquid to be recycled, wherein the plurality of coagulants adsorb the plurality of recyclable materials to form at least one wet coagulant; a solid-liquid separation step, in which the at least one wet coagulant is subjected to solid-liquid separation to remove the water solution, thereby forming at least one wet coagulant. A dried concrete, at least one of which contains a plurality of alkaline earth metals, is used as a glaze raw material; and a pulverization step of pulverizing the at least one dried concrete into a plurality of concrete powders, each of which has a particle size between 70 μm and 75 μm. Finally, the plurality of glaze raw materials having a particle size between 70 μm and 75 μm are recovered. In the pulverization step, the coagulant is a carbonate group. The method for recycling glaze raw materials from waste batteries as described in claim 1, wherein, in the waste battery processing step: each of the plurality of waste batteries is at least one of a lithium ternary battery, a lithium iron phosphate, a lithium titanium, and a solid lithium battery; and the plurality of recyclable materials are in the form of plastic feathers. The method for recycling glaze raw materials from waste batteries as described in claim 1, wherein, in the waste battery processing step, the plurality of waste batteries are first converted into a plurality of battery scraps through at least one of crushing, decomposition, pulverization, compression, and shredding, wherein the plurality of battery scraps include at least the plurality of recyclable materials. The method for recovering glaze raw materials from waste batteries as described in claim 1, wherein, in the waste battery treatment step, the liquid to be recovered is waste water. The method for recycling glaze raw materials from waste batteries as described in claim 1, wherein, in the coagulation step, the carbonate group is at least one of calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, and barium carbonate. The method for recycling glaze raw materials from waste batteries as described in claim 1, wherein, in the coagulation step and the solid-liquid separation step, a centrifuge is provided to perform solid-liquid separation on the at least one wet coagulation to convert it into the at least one dry coagulation. The method for recycling glaze raw materials from waste batteries as described in claim 1, wherein, in the coagulation step, in the pulverization step, a grinder is provided and set at a rotational speed of 900 RPM to 1000 RPM for 10 minutes to pulverize the at least one dried coagulation into the plurality of coagulation powders having a particle size between 70 μm and 75 μm.