WO2025135703A1 - Shredded battery material and battery disposal method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a shredded battery material and a battery disposal method, wherein the shredded battery material is a shredded battery material obtained by dispersing and disposing at least one unit shredded battery material, and has an R value of 190 to 260 in RGB of a captured two-dimensional image.

Description

Battery shredder and battery disposal methods

As for waste batteries, it relates to battery shreds extracted from waste battery recycling and a method for processing batteries.

As the demand for electric vehicles increases worldwide, the problem of disposal of waste batteries generated from said electric vehicles is emerging as a social issue. In the case of lithium secondary batteries, which are the main raw materials of said waste batteries, organic solvents, explosive substances, and heavy metals such as Ni, Co, Mn, and Fe are contained, but in the case of Ni, Co, Mn, and Li, they have high scarcity value as valuable metals, and the recovery and recycling process after the lithium secondary batteries are discarded is emerging as an important research field.

Specifically, a lithium secondary battery mainly consists of copper and aluminum used as a current collector, Li, Ni, Co, Mn-containing oxides constituting a cathode material, and graphite utilized as an anode material, and includes a separator separating the cathode material and the anode material, and an electrolyte injected into the separator. The solvent used as the solvent and salt constituting the electrolyte is mainly a mixture of carbonate organic substances such as ethylene carbonate and propylene carbonate, and for example, LiPF ₆ is used.

In order to utilize the above-mentioned waste batteries, development is actively underway on a waste battery recycling process that crushes the waste batteries to produce intermediate materials such as waste battery shreds or black powder, and then recovers valuable metals through a post-process.

However, in the waste battery recycling process, the waste battery generally has a voltage in the range of 3.0 to 3.2 V in a fully discharged state per cell, and a voltage close to 4 V in a fully charged state, although this voltage varies depending on the number of times the battery has been used or its condition. Therefore, in modules or packs in which tens to hundreds of cells are connected, the residual voltage has considerably large energy, and thus, when the waste battery is physically disassembled by applying an external shock, safety related to explosion or electric shock of the battery becomes an issue.

To prevent this, the battery requires pretreatment to minimize chemical energy reactions before battery shredding, such as by salt water discharge, electric discharge, or freezing.

In the case of brine discharge, it is a representative wet treatment method, and electric discharge or freezing treatment is a dry treatment method. If copper impurities are introduced into the downstream process in the above-mentioned pretreatment step, there is a problem that the copper impurity content is high and the recovery rate of valuable metals is reduced.

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide battery scrap that contains a minimum amount of copper impurities, thereby reducing the content of impurities when input into a post-process and increasing the recovery rate of valuable metals.

Another technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a battery processing method for selecting battery waste that contains excessive impurities such as copper from battery waste recovered from pretreatment in a post-process, thereby reducing the content of impurities when inputting it into a post-process and increasing the recovery rate of valuable metals.

In one embodiment, the at least one unit battery shredder is disposed in a dispersed manner, the battery shredder may have an R value of 190 to 260 in RGB of the captured two-dimensional image. In one embodiment, the at least one unit battery shredder may have a G value of 120 to 230 in RGB of the captured two-dimensional image.

In one embodiment, the captured two-dimensional image may have a B value of 90 to 190 in RGB. In one embodiment, the captured two-dimensional image may have a standard deviation of an R value of 22 to 30 in RGB. In one embodiment, the area fraction of the copper may be 5.0 to 10.0% of the total area based on the captured two-dimensional image.

In one embodiment, the unit battery shredder may include a separator having a positive electrode or a negative electrode laminated on at least one surface. In one embodiment, the unit battery shredder may include a current collector layer having copper (Cu) disposed within the negative electrode.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a battery processing method may include a step of preprocessing a battery, a step of shredding the preprocessed battery, a step of photographing an image of a shredded result, a step of extracting a color of the shredded result from the photographed image, and a step of classifying and removing over-discharged battery shreds from the shredded result based on the extracted color. In one embodiment, the step of preprocessing the battery may include a step of preparing the battery and a step of forcibly discharging the battery.

In one embodiment, between the step of shredding the preprocessed battery and the step of taking an image of the shredded result, the step of dispersing the shredded result may be included. In one embodiment, the step of extracting a color of the shredded result from the taken image may include the step of extracting RGB values.

In one embodiment, the step of classifying and removing over-discharged battery shreds from the shredded result based on the extracted color can classify and remove over-discharged battery shreds having an R value of 175 to 185 in RGB of a captured two-dimensional image of the shredded result. In one embodiment, the step of classifying and removing over-discharged battery shreds from the shredded result based on the extracted color can classify and remove over-discharged battery shreds having a G value of 125 to 140 in RGB of a captured two-dimensional image of the shredded result.

In one embodiment, the step of classifying and removing over-discharged battery shreds from the shredded result based on the extracted color may classify and remove over-discharged battery shreds having a B value of 100 to 120 in RGB of a captured two-dimensional image of the shredded result. In one embodiment, the step of classifying and removing over-discharged battery shreds from the shredded result based on the extracted color may classify and remove over-discharged battery shreds having an area fraction of copper of 2.0 to 4.5% of the total area based on the captured two-dimensional image of the shredded result.

In one embodiment, the method may include a step of classifying and removing over-discharged battery shreds from the shredded result based on the extracted color, followed by a step of crushing the sorted battery shreds from which the over-discharged battery shreds have been removed from the shredded result.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the battery shredder has an average R value of 190 to 260 in RGB of the surface of the battery shredder, thereby minimizing contamination by copper, thereby preventing the problem of the content of impurities such as copper increasing and lowering the recovery rate of valuable metals when applied to a post-process.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a battery processing method includes a method of sorting battery scrap having an average R value of 190 to 260 in RGB from battery scrap, thereby preventing the problem of a high content of impurities such as copper and a low recovery rate of valuable metals when applied to a post-process.

FIGS. 1A to 1C illustrate photographs of battery shreds according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A to 2C show photographs of battery fragments according to comparative examples of the present invention.

The terms first, second, and third, etc. are used to describe, but are not limited to, various parts, components, regions, layers, and/or sections. These terms are only used to distinguish one part, component, region, layer, or section from another part, component, region, layer, or section. Thus, a first part, component, region, layer, or section described below may be referred to as a second part, component, region, layer, or section without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. As used herein, the singular forms include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The word "comprising," as used herein, specifies particular features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of other features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components.

When a part is referred to as being "on" or "on" another part, it may be directly on or above the other part, or there may be other parts intervening. In contrast, when a part is referred to as being "directly on" another part, there are no other parts intervening.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms, including technical and scientific terms, used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are additionally interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the relevant technical literature and the presently disclosed content, and are not interpreted in an ideal or very formal sense unless defined.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. However, these are presented as examples, and the present invention is not limited thereby, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims described below.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the battery shredder may be at least one unit battery shredder dispersed and arranged. Specifically, the unit battery shredder is for recovering valuable metals from waste batteries and has a layered structure including a separator with a positive electrode or a negative electrode laminated on at least one surface.

Specifically, the layered structure may include a configuration in which an anode or a cathode is included on one surface or both surfaces of the separator based on the separator. More specifically, the number of layers of the layered structure may correspond to the number of separators.

The above layered structure includes, for example, one of anode-separator-cathode, anode-separator, separator-anode, separator-cathode, and cathode-separator, and for example, anode-separator-cathode-separator-anode-separator-cathode may have a three-layered layered structure. Specifically, the unit battery shredder may have a predetermined thickness in the thickness direction since at least one or more layers are laminated.

In one embodiment, the unit battery shred may include a current collector layer in which copper (Cu) is disposed within the negative electrode. The negative electrode may include a current collector, and specifically, the current collector may include a copper (Cu) foil, and the unit battery shred may include a current collector layer including copper.

In one embodiment, the unit battery shredder may satisfy the following condition 1.

<Condition 1> The above layered structure may be a laminated structure having 1 or more layers and 7 or fewer layers.

The above unit battery shredder may have a layered structure having a laminated structure of 1 to 7 layers. Specifically, the layered structure may have a layered structure of 1 to 5 layers.

The above layered structure can minimize the temperature rise of the shredded material and take an appropriate heating time by being laminated within the above range. If the above layered structure is laminated thicker than the upper limit of the above range, the temperature rise excessively increases and the heating time also increases, which causes a problem of causing a fire by combustion.

In one embodiment, the unit battery shredder may satisfy the following condition 2.

<Condition 2> The size of the above unit battery shreds may be 100 mm or less based on the longest axis among the width, length, and height directions.

In one embodiment, the unit battery shreds may have a size of 100 mm or less based on the longitudinal axis. Specifically, the size of the unit battery shreds may be 50 mm or less. If the size of the unit battery shreds is excessively large, there is a problem that the temperature of the battery shreds themselves may rise to 100° C. or more, which may lead to a high possibility of a fire occurring.

In one embodiment, the battery shreds may have an R value of 190 to 260 in RGB of a captured two-dimensional image. The RGB value of the two-dimensional image refers to a value measured by shining external light on the shreds in a visible light region having a wavelength of 400 to 700 nm and capturing the reflected light of the light projected on the shreds with a video camera. Specifically, the RGB value is obtained by measuring a two-dimensional image based on an area of 260 mm × 300 mm for the battery shreds in which unit battery shreds are dispersed and arranged, measuring the RGB value from the two-dimensional image, and then extracting the R value. Specifically, the R value may be 191 to 255. Since the R value satisfies the above-mentioned range, it can be utilized to manufacture a black powder with minimized copper impurities.

If the above R value is outside the lower limit of the aforementioned range, there is a problem that copper is ionized and precipitated, causing the color of the current collector of the battery shreds to precipitate dark brown, and a problem that a large amount of copper impurities are contained in the resultant product, thereby reducing the efficiency of recovering valuable metals.

In one embodiment, the battery shreds may have a G value of 120 to 230 in RGB of a captured two-dimensional image. Specifically, the RGB value is obtained by measuring a two-dimensional image captured for the battery shreds in which unit battery shreds are dispersed and arranged, measuring RGB values from the two-dimensional image, and then extracting the G value. Specifically, the G value may be 128 to 228. Since the G value satisfies the above-described range, it can be utilized to manufacture a black powder with minimized copper impurities.

If the above G value is outside the lower limit of the aforementioned range, there is a problem that copper is ionized and precipitated, causing the color of the current collector of the battery shreds to precipitate dark brown, and a problem that a large amount of copper impurities are contained in the resultant product, thereby reducing the efficiency of recovering valuable metals.

In one embodiment, the battery shreds may have a B value of 90 to 190 in RGB of a captured two-dimensional image. Specifically, the RGB value is obtained by measuring a two-dimensional image captured for the battery shreds in which the unit battery shreds are dispersed and arranged, measuring the RGB value from the two-dimensional image, and then extracting the B value. Specifically, the B value may be 97 to 185. Since the B value satisfies the above-mentioned range, it can be utilized to manufacture a black powder with minimized copper impurities. When the B value is out of the lower limit of the above-mentioned range, there is a problem that copper is ionized and precipitated, causing the color of the current collector of the battery shreds to precipitate as dark brown, and there is a problem that a large amount of copper impurities are contained in the resultant product, thereby reducing the efficiency of recovering valuable metals.

In one embodiment, the RGB of the two-dimensional image measured based on the area of 260 mm × 300 mm may have a standard deviation of R values of 22 to 30. Specifically, the standard deviation refers to a value calculated by randomly sampling several sections of colors of Cu, which is a desired detection target, from the dispersed fragments from the RGB values obtained from the two-dimensional image, confirming the RGB values, and calculating the distribution range of the Cu color. The standard deviation of the R value may have a standard deviation of R values of 23 to 25.

In one embodiment, the RGB of the captured two-dimensional image may have a standard deviation of G values of 30 to 40. Specifically, the standard deviation of the G values may have a value of 33 to 36.

In one embodiment, the RGB of the captured two-dimensional image may have a standard deviation of B values of 25 to 35. Specifically, the standard deviation of the B values may have a value of 27 to 30.

In this way, battery shreds having RGB values satisfying the aforementioned range are battery shreds that have undergone preprocessing in the normal discharge range, and by selecting normally discharged battery shreds rather than over-discharged battery shreds and performing a subsequent process, black powder with minimized impurities such as copper can be manufactured.

In one embodiment, the battery shreds may have an area fraction of copper of 5.0 to 10.0% based on a captured two-dimensional image. Specifically, the area fraction of copper is obtained by measuring a two-dimensional image based on an area of 260 mm × 300 mm for the battery shreds in which unit battery shreds are dispersed and arranged, extracting the color of copper from the two-dimensional image, and expressing the area fraction that the color of copper occupies based on 100% of an area of 260 mm × 300 mm therefrom.

The above-mentioned area fraction of copper can satisfy 5.0 to 10.0%, specifically, 6.0 to 9.8%, and more specifically, 6.9 to 9.6%. By satisfying the above-mentioned range of the area fraction of copper, it is possible to confirm a crushed material treated with a pretreatment condition capable of minimizing impurities.

If the area fraction of the copper is outside the upper limit of the above-mentioned range, there may be a problem that the level of impurities in the post-process increases beyond the optimized dry crushing conditions. If the area fraction of the copper is outside the lower limit of the above-mentioned range, there may be a problem that the probability of impurity generation increases because the electric discharge is outside the existing range conditions.

A battery processing method according to another embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of preprocessing a battery, the step of shredding the preprocessed battery, the step of photographing an image of a shredded result, the step of extracting a color of the shredded result from the photographed image, the step of classifying and removing over-discharged battery shreds from the extracted shredded result, and the step of crushing the selected battery shreds from which the over-discharged battery shreds have been removed from the shredded result.

The step of preprocessing the battery may include a step of preparing the battery and a step of forcibly discharging the battery. In the step of preparing the battery, the battery may be, for example, a lithium secondary battery separated from a car, a secondary battery separated from an electronic device such as a mobile phone, a camera, or a laptop, and specifically, a lithium secondary battery.

The step of forcibly discharging the battery is a step of lowering the voltage within the battery, and may be a step of controlling the voltage slightly remaining within the battery to be lowered to close to 0 V. Specifically, by performing the step of forcibly discharging, even if a short circuit occurs in which the positive and negative electrodes within the battery are in direct contact, a battery reaction does not occur, so the battery temperature does not increase, and thus gas generation and combustion of the electrolyte do not occur.

The step of crushing the preprocessed battery may be a step of crushing the battery by applying an external force to the battery that has gone through the discharge process. Specifically, the step of crushing the battery may mean a process of applying an impact or pressure to the battery so that a part of the battery falls off.

In one embodiment, the step of shredding the battery may mean any of a process of crushing the battery, a process of cutting the battery, a process of compressing the battery, and combinations thereof. Specifically, the step of shredding may include any process that can destroy the battery to obtain small-sized shreds.

In one embodiment, the step of crushing the battery may include any process of destroying the battery by compressing the battery or applying an external force, such as a shear force or a tensile force. The step of crushing the battery may be performed, for example, using a crusher.

In one embodiment, the step of crushing the battery may be performed at least once. Specifically, the step of crushing may be performed at least once, either continuously or discontinuously.

In one embodiment, the step of crushing the battery comprises supplying conditions including an inert gas, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, water, or a combination thereof. Or, it can be performed under vacuum atmosphere conditions of 100 torr or less. By performing the crushing in the above atmosphere, the explosion of the battery can be prevented, and the vaporization of the electrolyte can be suppressed, so that flammable gases such as ethylene, propylene, or hydrogen cannot be generated.

The step of taking an image of the shredded result may be a step of measuring a two-dimensional image based on an area of 260 mm × 300 mm for the battery shreds in which the unit battery shreds are dispersed and arranged.

The step of extracting the color of the shredded result from the photographed image may be a step of extracting RGB values from the image. Specifically, the step of extracting the color of the shredded result may be such that each of the total pixels included in the area of the designated region of interest from the image has an RGB value, and a pixel included in the RGB reference value range derived above is set as ‘1’, and a pixel out of the range is set as ‘0’ (or vice versa), so that a desired region can be extracted from the photographed image.

In one embodiment, between the step of shredding the preprocessed battery and the step of taking an image of the shredded result, a step of dispersing the shredded result may be included. The step of dispersing the shredded result may specifically be a step of dispersing the battery shreds so that they are evenly distributed by vacuum or external force. By performing the dispersing step, there is an advantage in that it is easy to extract colors for a large amount of unit battery shreds.

The step of classifying and removing the over-discharged battery shreds from the shredded result based on the extracted color may be a step of selecting and removing the over-discharged battery shreds based on the extracted color. In the step of classifying and removing the over-discharged battery shreds, the characteristics of the over-discharged battery shreds are as follows.

In one embodiment, the over-discharged battery shreds can have an R value of 175 to 185 in RGB of a captured two-dimensional image, for example, 260 mm x 300 mm. In one embodiment, the over-discharged battery shreds can have a G value of 125 to 140 in RGB of a captured two-dimensional image, for example, 260 mm x 300 mm. In one embodiment, the over-discharged battery shreds can have a B value of 100 to 120 in RGB of the captured two-dimensional image.

The RGB value of the above two-dimensional image refers to a value measured in the visible light range using lighting and camera optical equipment. Specifically, the RGB value is obtained by measuring a two-dimensional image captured for battery shreds in which unit battery shreds are dispersed and arranged, measuring the RGB value of each pixel from the two-dimensional image, and then extracting the R value, G value, and B value.

The over-discharged battery shreds continue to discharge even after all lithium has been removed from the graphite in the negative electrode, and as a result, the copper foil, which is the negative electrode current collector, may be oxidized, causing copper ions to escape into the electrolyte. Thereafter, the copper ions penetrate the separator and are deposited on the surface of the positive electrode material, which causes a problem. Accordingly, when the over-discharged battery shreds are input to a post-process, there is a problem that the copper impurity content increases, lowering the recovery rate of the valuable metal recovery alloy in the post-process.

By selecting and removing the over-discharged battery waste having the aforementioned color, only the normally discharged battery waste is selected and fed into a subsequent process, thereby reducing the content of impurities and increasing the recovery rate of the valuable metal recovery alloy.

In one embodiment, the step of extracting the color of the shredded result from the photographed image may include the step of extracting the area fraction of copper. Specifically, the step of extracting the color of the shredded result may include checking the RGB values of pixels of the region of interest of the photographed image corresponding to the color of copper from the photographed image, converting values included in a desired reference detection range into '1' and those outside the desired reference detection range into '0' through binarization, and checking the area fraction of the color corresponding to copper.

In one embodiment, the area fraction of copper may be from 2.0 to 4.5% based on the captured two-dimensional image of the over-discharged battery shreds. Specifically, the area fraction may be from 2.00 to 4.15%. As described above, it can be confirmed that the over-discharged battery shreds have a lower copper area fraction than the battery shreds that underwent normal discharge, as copper ions penetrate the separator and are deposited on the surface of the cathode material.

As described above, by classifying and removing over-discharged battery shreds from the battery shreds and selecting battery shreds that have undergone normal discharge, black powder with a low content of impurities can be manufactured in a post-process.

In one embodiment, after the step of classifying and removing over-discharged battery shreds from the shredded result based on the extracted color, the step of crushing the sorted battery shreds from which the over-discharged battery shreds have been removed from the shredded result may be included. The crushing step may be a step of making the shreds into a fine powder. Specifically, the crushing step may be a step of processing the shreds into a size of several hundred μm.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments and comparative examples of the present invention will be described. However, the following examples are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

Experimental example

<Example> - Normal discharge stabilization treatment

Preprocessing step

A 2,750 g NCM battery was prepared using waste batteries, and the waste battery was subjected to an electric discharge treatment to lower the voltage of the waste battery.

At this time, the conditions for the electric discharge were performed under the conditions of SOC 30 to 60% or less.

Battery shredding stage

The above-mentioned waste batteries were shredded under frozen conditions using shredder equipment so that the longest length or width of the waste batteries was less than 100 mm.

Distributed processing stage

A dispersion treatment step was performed to apply vibration so that the shredded waste battery shreds fall to the bottom of the shredder and are widely spread. Specifically, the dispersion treatment step was performed under conditions where the target shreds can be set up in a designated area using a vibrating device. For example, if the shreds are put into a designated case, it means that the upper part of the shreds can be photographed under the same conditions.

Color photography and detection steps for battery shreds

The region of interest (ROI) of the image captured by using an optical device using lighting and a camera, specifically, a Basler ace acA2500 color camera and a flat dome light, of the above-mentioned dispersed waste battery shreds was measured. More specifically, for the dispersed waste battery shreds, the RGB values of each pixel value of the 260 mm x 300 mm region of interest were identified, and a video image was captured so that the RGB range for the designated preprocessing conditions could be identified and the area could be calculated. However, it is not limited to the corresponding region. Whether or not to transmit to the post-process was determined based on the ratio of the area of copper extracted compared to the total area.

FIGS. 1A to 1C illustrate photographs of battery shreds according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1A is a photograph of battery shreds according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1B is an enlarged photograph of battery shreds according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1C is an image in which the color of copper is extracted from FIG. 1A.

<Comparative Example> - Overdischarge stabilization treatment

In the above pretreatment step, the conditions of electric discharge were the same as in the example, except that overdischarge was performed so that the reverse voltage was applied from 0 V to -0 V or less.

FIGS. 2A to 2C show photographs of battery fragments according to comparative examples of the present invention.

FIG. 2a is a photograph of battery shreds according to a comparative example of the present invention, FIG. 2b is an enlarged photograph of battery shreds according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2c is an image of the color of copper from FIG. 2a.

Table 1 below shows an RGB color table of battery shreds when a battery that has undergone electric discharge is shredded according to examples and comparative examples.

The above RGB color table was used to randomly select 10 points for each location of the battery shreds and check the result values.

division color 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 average Maximum Minimum standard
Deviation line
city
yes R 253 225 232 255 216 255 191 214 254 204 230 255 191 24 G 185 149 167 228 146 219 128 149 196 145 171 228 128 34 B 146 115 129 185 112 161 97 117 156 105 132 185 97 28 rain
school
yes R 180 186 188 177 186 185 176 179 172 117 175 188 176 21 G 118 121 123 118 129 133 113 131 120 116 122 133 113 7 B 97 101 103 100 110 111 65 109 98 98 99 111 65 13

Table 2 below shows the ratio of the area occupied by the color corresponding to copper when the battery that performed the electric discharge was shredded according to the examples and comparative examples, and the color corresponding to copper was extracted from the battery shreds. The color corresponding to copper was obtained by taking an RGB image of the shreds within a measurable focal length of an optical device using lighting and a camera, and calculating the fraction by measuring the number of pixels included in the detection range relative to the total area in a range of 260 mm × 300 mm, which is the region of interest.

division 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 average Maximum Minimum standard
Deviation Example 9.51 9.03 9.27 7.79 8.80 8.50 6.93 9.02 8.24 9.53 8.66 9.53 6.93 0.82 Comparative example 2.86 2.81 2.78 2.91 2.00 2.73 2.93 3.04 3.63 4.15 2.98 0.57 4.15 0.57

Looking at Table 1 above, it can be confirmed that in the case of normal discharge, compared to over-discharge, the R, G, and B values in the RGB color values are higher. This can be seen as being close to the color of copper metal, and in the case of over-discharge, it means that the copper is ionized and deposited, so it changes to a darker tone. Looking at Table 2 above, it can be confirmed that in the case of normal discharge, the color area corresponding to copper occupies about 8.66% based on the 260 mm x 300 mm area, and in the case of over-discharge, it can be confirmed that it is low at about 2.98%. This is because, during the crushing process, the graphite attached to the copper collector in the Example was easily separated compared to the Comparative Example, and in the Comparative Example, the bonding strength of the graphite attached to the copper collector was stronger due to precipitation, so that the graphite was relatively bonded to the copper collector, and the ratio of the color area corresponding to copper was low.

<Evaluation Example> - Recovery Rate of Valuable Metals

Table 3 below shows the recovery rate of valuable metals and the ratio of impurities when black powder was obtained by crushing examples and comparative examples.

The recovery rate of the above valuable metals and the ratio of impurities were made into a black mass and the ratio of the analyzed elements was measured using an (ICP analysis) device.

When the Cu content in the black powder of the comparative example increases, it can be confirmed that the recovery rates of Li, Ni, Co, and Mn decrease due to the process load in the wet smelting process for Cu removal.

Recovery rate of valuable metals [%] Impurities Li Ni Co Mn Cu Example 70 93 94 94 0.33 Comparative example 54 81 79 82 3.96

Classification stage

According to the examples and comparative examples, a step of selecting the comparative example fragments that underwent over-discharge from the manufactured battery fragments was performed so that they would not enter the post-process. Specifically, a step of removing the comparative example fragments that underwent over-discharge was performed by detecting the corresponding pixels under the discharge condition in the RGB color range and calculating the ratio of the detection area to the total area.

Crushing stage

A step was performed to remove the fragments of the comparative example that had undergone overdischarge and to crush them to have particle sizes of several hundred μm using the crushing equipment of the example.

Although the preferred embodiments have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements made by those skilled in the art using the basic concepts defined in the following claims also fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (16)

As to battery shreds, wherein at least one unit battery shred is dispersed and arranged, Battery shreds having an R value of 190 to 260 in RGB of the captured two-dimensional image. In the first paragraph, Battery shreds having a G value of 120 to 230 in RGB of the captured two-dimensional image. In the first paragraph, Battery shreds having a B value of 90 to 190 in RGB of the captured two-dimensional image. In the first paragraph, Battery shreds having a standard deviation of R values of 22 to 30 in RGB of the captured two-dimensional image. In the first paragraph, Battery shreds having an area fraction of copper of 5.0 to 10.0% of the total area based on the captured two-dimensional image. In the first paragraph, The above unit battery shredder is a battery shredder comprising a separator having a positive electrode or a negative electrode laminated on at least one surface. In the first paragraph, The above unit battery shredder is a battery shredder including a current collector layer in which copper (Cu) is disposed within the negative electrode. Step of preprocessing the battery; Step of crushing the preprocessed batteries; A step of taking an image of the shredded result; A step of extracting the color of the shredded result from the captured image; and A battery processing method comprising a step of classifying and removing over-discharged battery shreds from the shredded result based on the extracted color. In Article 8, The step of preprocessing the above battery is: Step of preparing the above battery; and A battery processing method comprising a step of forcibly discharging the battery. In Article 8, Between the step of shredding the preprocessed battery and the step of taking an image of the shredded result, A battery processing method comprising a step of dispersing the above shredded result. In Article 8, A battery processing method, wherein the step of extracting the color of the shredded result from the photographed image includes the step of extracting RGB values. In Article 11, A battery processing method for classifying and removing over-discharged battery shreds from the shredded result based on the extracted color, wherein the step of classifying and removing over-discharged battery shreds having an R value of 175 to 185 in RGB of a two-dimensional image captured for the shredded result. In Article 11, A battery processing method in which the step of classifying and removing over-discharged battery shreds from the shredded result based on the extracted color classifies and removes over-discharged battery shreds having a G value of 125 to 140 in RGB of a two-dimensional image captured for the shredded result. In Article 11, A battery processing method in which the step of classifying and removing over-discharged battery shreds from the shredded result based on the extracted color classifies and removes over-discharged battery shreds having a B value of 100 to 120 in RGB of a captured two-dimensional image of the shredded result. In Article 8, A battery processing method in which the step of classifying and removing over-discharged battery debris from the shredded result based on the extracted color comprises classifying and removing over-discharged battery debris having an area fraction of copper of 2.0 to 4.5% of the total area based on a captured two-dimensional image of the shredded result. In Article 8, After the step of classifying and removing the over-discharged battery shreds from the shredded results based on the extracted color, A battery processing method comprising the step of crushing selected battery shreds from which the over-discharged battery shreds are removed from the crushed result.

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