The ternary lithium-ion batteries contain a large amount of valuable metals, such as nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), and manganese (n). Nickel is an important alloying element, widely used in the production of stainless steel and other materials. Cobalt is a rare metal that plays a critical in high-temperature alloys, hard alloys, and magnetic materials. Manganese is also an indispensable deoxidizer and desulfurizer in the iron and steel, and it plays an important role in optimizing the performance of battery materials themselves. By recycling these metals, the dependence on primary ores can be effectively alleviated.

Pre-treatment of spent ternary lithium-ion batteries: 

Discharge treatment

The spent ternary lithium-ion batteries still contain a certain amount of charge, and need to be discharged before recycling to avoid short circuits and other dangerous in subsequent operations. Physical discharge methods are generally used, such as connecting the battery to a suitable resistor, so that the electrical energy in the battery is consumed in the form of heat.

Disassembly 

The discharged battery is disassembled to remove the battery cell. The battery casing and other components can be recycled for other uses. battery cell mainly consists of positive electrode materials (containing metals such as nickel, cobalt, and manganese), negative electrode materials, separators, and electrolytes.

Separation and leaching of positive electrode materials

The positive electrode materials are separated from the battery cells by physical or chemical methods. Then, suitable leaching agents (such as sulfuric acid,.) are used to leach nickel, cobalt, manganese, and other metal ions from the positive electrode materials into the solution under certain conditions of temperature, acidity and reaction time.

Ion exchange method is an effective way to recover nickel, cobalt, and manganese from waste ternary lithium-ion batteries, with the following advantages: 

selectivity: 

Ion exchange resins have high selectivity for metal ions such as nickel, cobalt, and manganese, allowing for the effective separation and recovery of metal ions.

High recovery rate:

 The recovery rate of metal ions can be increased and resource waste reduced by optimizing ion exchange conditions.

Simple operation: 

The operation of ion exchange is relatively simple, it does not require complex equipment and processes, and it is easy to achieve industrial application.

Good environmental protection: 

This method generates less wastewater and waste residue, causing minimal environmental pollution.

Kingshan New Materials provides a series of ternary lithium-ion battery recycling materials, which are characterized by good selectivity, high adsorption rate and easy regeneration.