BATTERIES

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments herein generally relate to recycling of batteries and more particularly, an apparatus and a method for recycling Lithium Cobalt Oxide batteries found in electronic devices in a dry form without water emissions.

Description of the Related Art

[0002] With the advent of the electronic era, the usage of electronic devices especially with portable energy sources has increased exponentially. Nowadays, most electronic devices are battery-powered, making them portable in nature. Since the appearance of batteries on market, their consumption has continued to increase rapidly. However, the extreme usage of portable electronic devices has caused an equally fast consumption of batteries with absolutely negligible amounts of consumed batteries being recycled.

[0003] One of the major concerns surrounding the consumption of batteries is the recycling of batteries after consumption, especially management of costs and efforts prove to be more tedious. Depending on the battery type, old and used batteries contain certain proportions of environmentally hazardous substances. From the environment and market economy point of view, it is not justifiable that toxins contained in old batteries are released into household waste dumps without recycling them, as a leak from these old batteries into the environment may cause significant damage.

[0004] A typical waste disposal facility may not be equipped to properly dispose of used batteries. Some battery technologies require expensive manufacturing and a limited supply of materials. Therefore, battery recycling becomes even more imperative to provide both environmental and economic advantages. Most of the time, materials from old and used batteries are extractable, however, this extraction comes at a considerable economicadvantage. The recycling process becomes even more difficult as there are a large number ofdiscarded batteries with different shapes, physical configurations, and battery technology using various chemical reagents and packaging materials. Battery recycling may be a difficult task as some batteries are inflammable and might prove to be a potential hazard.

[0005] Most the Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LCO) batteries are recycled using processes such as Pyrometallurgy or Hydrometallurgy. The cobalt is typically extracted as cobalt sulfate. In both cases, capital costs and operations costs are exponentially high. These processes also create a huge carbon footprint. The existing technologies recycle the batteries but are unable to extract the materials in their dry form.

[0006] Therefore, there arises a need to address the aforementioned technical drawbacks in a better way for recycling LCO batteriesin dry form.

SUMMARY

[0007] In view of foregoing, an embodiment herein provides apparatus for recycling lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) batteriesin dry form. The apparatus includes (i) a sorting unit that receives and sorts one or more batteries, (ii) a grinding unit that grinds the one or more batteries, |(iii) a sifting unit that sifts the grinded one or more batteries, (iv) an air classifier includesany of a disposal unit, an air column, or a material separation chamber for segregating sifted materials, and a control unit that is configured to (i) sort the one or more batteries to separate the lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) batteriesusing the sorting unit, (ii) grindthe sorted LCO batteries to obtain a ground material with grind unit parameters using the grinding unit, (iii) sift, using the sifter unit, the ground material into a coarse fraction and a fine fraction by a sieve analysis method. The coarse fraction includes a first coarse fraction and asecond coarse fraction. The fine fraction includes a first fine fraction and a second fine fraction, (iv) segregatethe second coarse fraction into at least one of copper, aluminum, plastic, or waste material based on a combination of size, shape, and density of a particle of the ground materialusing the air classifier, and (v) enable a recyclingprocess for the LCO batteries using the fine fraction from the sifter unit and the segregated second coarse fraction from the air classifier.

[0008] In some embodiments, the first coarse fraction includes waste materialwith a particle size in a range of 3500 microns to 8000 microns and the second coarse fraction includes at least one of the copper, aluminum, plastic, or waste material with a particle size in a range of 380 microns to 5000 microns.

[0009] In some embodiments, the first fine fraction includes graphite with a particle size in a range of 180 microns to 850 microns and the second fine fraction includes cobalt and some amount of the graphite with a particle size in a range of 45 microns to 150 microns.

[0010] In some embodiments, the grind unit parameter includes revolutions per minute (RPM). The sorted LCO batteries are grinded using the grinding unit to obtain the ground material with varied grind unit parameters based on a type of LCO batteries. The control unit varies the RPM of the grinding unit through a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD)based on the type of the LCO batteries. The RPM varies in a range of 500 RPM to

3600 RPM. [0011] In some embodiments, the grind unit parameter includes a bottom screen, the bottom screen includes a mesh size in a range of 40 mm down to 10mm.

[0012] In some embodiments, the sorting unit sorts the one or more batteries into LCO batteries and non-LCO batteries based on the type of batteries.

[0013] In some embodiments, the sifter unit comprises a gyratory or vibratory shaker that sifts the ground material into the coarse fraction and the fine fraction by gyratory or vibratory motions using one or more sieves, wherein the gyratory or vibratory shaker provides a rotary motion in the ground material with high speed which causes dispersion stirring to the ground material that dispose of the fine fraction from the ground material through the one or more sieves and stacks the coarse fraction from the ground material on the top of the one or more sieves.

[0014] In some embodiments, the disposal unit disposesthe waste material from the second coarse fraction based on the particle size.

[0015] In some embodiments, the air column segregates the second coarse fraction into at least one of copper, aluminum, or plastics using a material separation chamber.

[0016] In another aspect, an embodiment herein provides a method forrecy cling lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) batteriesin dry form. The method includes (i) receiving and sorting one or more batteries to separate the lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) batteriesusing a sorting unit, (ii) grinding the sorted LCO batteries to obtain a ground material with grind unit parameters using a grinding unit, (iii) sifting, using a sifter unit, the ground material into a coarse fraction and a fine fraction by a sieve analysis method. In some embodiments, the coarse fraction includes a first coarse fraction and asecond coarse fraction. In some embodiments, the fine fraction includes a first fine fraction and a second fine fraction, (iv) segregating the second coarse fraction into at least one of copper, aluminum, plastic, or waste material based on a combination of size, shape, and density of a particle of the ground materialusing an air classifier, and (v) enabling a recyclingprocess for the LCO batteries using the fine fraction from the sifter unit and the segregated second coarse fraction from the air classifier.

[0017] The apparatus and method segregates materials from the LCO batteries and provide a higher realization per kilo of battery. The sorting of the batteries provides high efficiency in the recycling process with higher percentages of isolated segregated materials. The output from the apparatus and method may be provided to smelters to enter a supply chain for recycling process, and may be reused for any other purposes, as the materials including cobalt are extracted in the purest form. The apparatus and method separate the individual metals from the ground material, that enables use of the metals for recycling process of the LCO batteries.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following detailed description with reference to the drawings, in which:

[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an apparatus forrecycling Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LCO) batteries according to some embodiments herein;

[0020] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a grinding unit of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments herein;

[0021] FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a sifter unitof FIG. 1 according to some embodiments herein;

[0022] FIG. 4 illustrate a block diagram for receiving segregated material from coarse fraction according to some embodiments herein; and

[0023] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of method of recycling LCO batteries accordingto some embodiments herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.

[0025] As mentioned, there remains a need for an apparatus and a method for recycling Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LCO) batteries in dry form, that can overcome the existing drawbacks. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 5, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, preferred embodiments are shown.

[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagramof an apparatus 100 for recycling Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LCO)batteries in dry formaccording to some embodiments herein. The apparatus includes a sorting unit 102, a grinding unit 104, a sifter unit 106, an air classifier

108, and a control unit 114. The sorting unit 102 receives and sorts one or more batteries. In some embodiments, the one or more batteries include chargeable batteries and non- chargeable batteries including any of lithium cobalt oxide batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries, lithium-ion manganese oxide batteries, small seal lead batteries, lithium-ion phosphate batteries in different shapes such as cylindrical cells, button cells, prismatic cells (flat rectangular batteries), pouch cells and on the like. The sorting unit 102 sorts the one or more batteries torecycle different types of batteries separately. The one or more batteriesmay be provided on a conveyer belt of the apparatus that sorts the one or more batteries into LCO batteries and non-LCO batteries. The sorting unit 102 sorts the LCO batteries based on type of electronic devices. The electronic devices, being at least one of, but not limited to the batteries from a smartphone, power banks, lithium polymer batteries from phones. The sorting of the one or more batteries provides efficiency in the recycling process along with higher percentages of isolated segregated materials.

[0027] The grinding unit 104 grinds thesorted LCO batteries. TheLCO batteries are grind based on their battery type. The batteries of the smartphones may be grindedat a low- level grinding parameter as the batteries of the power banks or laptops may be grinded at a high-level grinding parameter. The grinding unit 104 grinds the sorted LCObatteries to a powder form. In some embodiments, the grinding unit 104 grinds thesorted batteries in an equalized particle size distribution(PSD) form. The grinding unit 104 may produce the equalized particle size distribution (PSD) form of sorted batteries, by monitoring and controlling the revolutions per minute (RPM) through a variable frequency drive (VFD) of the grinding unit 104. The RPM may be varied depending upon the type of the LCO batteries. For example, the RPM may be increased i.e., the high-level grinding parameter, for batteries of electronic devices with hard plastic covering such as power banks, and the RPM may be decreased i.e., the low-level grinding parameter, for batteries of smartphones. The grinding unit 104 may be any of a hammer mill, a ball mill, or a pin mill. The oxygen percentage inside the grinding unit 104 is measured and maintained using a programmable logic controller (PLC) to avoid combustion from the sorted LCO batteries during the grinding process. The grinding unit 104 may be equipped with a relief valve in case of an emergency shutdown of the grinding unit 104. The grinding unit 104 may include a Lower Explosive Limit (LEL) sensor to detect a level of any combustible gases during grinding process in the grinding unit 104. In some embodiments, the LEL sensor triggers an inert blanketto control the level of any combustible gases during grinding process in the grinding unit 104.

[0028] The sifter unit 106 receives the grinded material from the grinding unit 104, and siftsthe grinded material into fractions by a sieve analysis method. The sifter unit 106 may include a gyratory shaker or vibratorto sift the grinded material. The gyratory shaker or vibratorprovides a rotary motion and causes dispersion stirring to theground materials. In some embodiments, the dispersion stirring impacts rheological characteristics of the materials being sifted in the sifter unit 106. The air classifier 108 includes any of a disposal unit, an air column, or a material separation chamber for segregating sifted materials.

[0029] The control unit 110 is configured to sort the one or more batteries to separate the LCO batteries using the sorting unit 102. The control unit 110 may enable the sorting unit

102 to sort the LCO batteries by any of visual inspection or manual method. In some embodiments, the sorting unit 102 includes one or more cameras for visual inspection. The one or more cameras capture one or more images of the one or more batteries, and determines the LCO batteries using an image processing method. In some embodiments, the manual method enables users to inspect the one or more batteries to sort the LCO batteries. The control unit 110 is configured to grind the sorted LCO batteries to obtain a ground material with grind unit parameters using the grinding unit 104. The control unit 110 is configured to sift the ground material into a coarse fraction package 112 and a fine fraction package 114 by a sieve analysis method using the sifter unit 106. The coarse fraction packagel l2 and the fine fraction package 114 are a granular form of the ground material. In some embodiments, the coarse fraction package 112 includes a first coarse fraction and a second coarse fraction. The coarse fraction package 112 may have a weight percentage in a range of 30% to 38% and a particle size is in a range of 380 microns to 8000 microns. In some embodiments, the first coarse fractionincludes the waste material with a particle size in a range of 3500 microns to 8000 microns, and the second coarse fraction includes at least one of the coppers, aluminum, plastic, or waste material with a particle size in a range of 380 microns to 5000 microns.

[0030] The fine fraction package 114 is a granular form of the ground material that is segregated into graphite and cobalt, and a particle size is in a range of 45 microns to 850 microns. The fine fraction package 114includes a first fine fraction and a second fine fraction.In some embodiments, the first fine fraction includes graphite with a particle size in a range of 180 microns to 850 microns and the second fine fraction includes cobalt and some amount of the graphite with a particle size in a range of 45 microns to 150 microns. The control unit 110 is configured to segregate the second coarse fraction into at least one of coppers, aluminum, plastic, or waste materialbased on a combination of size, shape, and density of a particle of the ground material, using the air classifier 108. The control unit 110 is configured to enable the recycling process for the LCO batteries using the fine fraction package from the sifter unit 106 and the segregated second coarse fraction from the air classifier 108.

[0031] In some embodiments, the apparatus 100 includes a magnetic separator that separates magnetic substances and non-magnetic substances from the ground material using a magnet.

[0032] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of the grinding unit 104 of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments here. The grinding unit 104 includes a screen selection unit 202, a PLC control module 204, and a parameter control unit 206. The screen selection unit 202 enables a user to select a bottom screen for the grinding unit 104 depending on the type of LCO batteries received from the sorting unit 102. The screen selection unit 202 may select a bottom screen based on the sieve analysis of the ground materials. The screen selection unit 202 may select a bottom screen from 40mm down to 10mm, depending on the type of LCO batteries.

[0033] The LCO batteries may be flammable during the grinding process, so that, the PLC control module 204 measures an oxygen percentage inside the grinding unit 104 that avoids fire hazards. The PLC control module 204 mayuse one or more sensors to measure and maintain the oxygen percentage below 14-15% using nitrogen. In some embodiments, to maintain the oxygen percentage, nitrogen is tossed into the grinding unit 104 using an inlet feed valve. In some embodiments, the PLC control module 204 and the inlet feed valve are turned offafter the event of the recycling process. In some embodiments, the inlet feed valve is attached to the grinding unit 104. The grinding unit 104 may include a relief valve in case of an emergency shut down, for safety purposes.

[0034] The parameter control unit 206 controls the revolution per minute (RPM) of the grinding unit 104 through a variable frequency drive (VFD) along with interchangeable screensfrom the screen selection unit 202. The screen selection unit 202 configures the size of the bottom screen and the parameter control unit 206 varies the RPM to receive the equalized particle size distribution of the materials in a powder base. In some embodiments, the parameter control unit 206 varies the RPM in a range of 500 to 3600 revolutions per minute. The grinding unit 104 provides a maximized output with an increased efficiency with the varied RPM. The grinding unit 104 discharges the ground material on a continuous basis and that is pneumatically conveyed to the sifter unit 106. In some embodiments, the parameter control unit 206 selects grinding parametersincluding RPM and VFDto prevent over-grinding of the LCO batteries.

[0035] FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of the sifter unit 106 of FIG.1 according to some embodiments herein. The sifter unit 106 includes a coarse fraction 112 and a fine fraction 114. The LCO batteries are ground in the grinding unit 104 and the grounded LCO batteries arereceived by the sifter unit 106. In some embodiments, the sifter unit 106 includes one or more sieves stacked on top of each other. The one or more sievesmay include various mesh sizes to ensure an accurate particle size distribution. The grounded batteries from the grinding unit 104 are placed on the topmost sieve. Based on a sifter parametersuch as mesh size, time period of sifting, and the like, the sifter unit 106 sifts the materials into different fractions, such that the fine fraction 114 penetrateson the stack of the one or more sieves and reaches to the bottom of the stack, whereas the coarse fraction 112 remains on the top of the stack of the one or more sieves. The sifter parameters may be chosen manually by a user based on the type of LCO batteries for sifting the ground material.

[0036] The coarse fraction 112 includescoarse grains of the grounded batteries. The coarse fraction 112 includes a first coarse fraction 302 and a second coarse fraction 304. The first coarse fraction 302 may include a waste stream consisting of at least one of labels from battery cases or light plastics are found in the batteries. In some embodiments, a weight percent of the first coarse fraction 302 varies from 10% to 22% by the weight of the LCO battery being processed and the type of LCO battery. Based on the screen selection and the type of LCO battery, the particle size in the first coarse fraction 302 may vary from 8000 microns to 3500 microns. In some embodiments, the screen selection is in a range of 15/32” plate to US 8 Mesh.

[0037] The second coarse fraction 304 is a middle fraction process that includesintermediate-size particles. In some embodiments, the second coarse fraction 304includesat least one of copper, aluminum with a plastic casing, or a waste stream. In some embodiments, the second coarse fraction 304 weight percentage is in a range of 30% to 38%, and the particle size in the second coarse fraction 304is in a range of 380 microns to 5000 microns. In some embodiments, the second coarse fraction 304 weight percentage and particle size depend upon the LCO battery type and the grindingunit 104 parameter such as RPM and VFD.

[0038] The fine fraction 114includes finely ground grains of the batteries. The fine fraction 304 includes a first fine fraction 306 and a second fine fraction 308. In some embodiments, the first fine fraction 306includes Graphite. The particle size of the first fine fraction 306may vary from 180 microns to 850 microns. In some embodiments, the weight percentage of the first fine fraction 306 varies depending on degree of separation of Cobalt from Graphite.

[0039] In some embodiments, the second fine fraction 308includes Cobalt and some carried-over Graphite. The particle size of the second fine fraction 308 may vary from 45 microns to 150 microns.

[0040] FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram for receiving segregated materials from the coarse fractionl l2 according to some embodiments herein. The block diagram includes the coarse fraction 112, the air classifier 108, a disposal unit 402, an air column 404, and a material separation chamber 406. The coarsely ground material fragments from the coarse fraction 112 are transmitted to the air classifier 108 for the segregation of materials. In some embodiments, the coarse fraction 112 includes a weight percentage in a range of 30% to 38% and the particle size in a range of 380 microns to 5000 microns. The air classifier 108 works on a principle of separation of materials based on a combination of size, shape, and density. In some embodiments, only the second coarse fraction 304 is processed in the air classifier 108, thereby separating copper, aluminum, plastics, and a waste fraction. The disposal unit 402 disposes of the waste fraction. The remaining materials are sent to the air column 404. The air column 404 includes a column of rising air. In the material separation chamber 406, the rising air drags the material supplies upwards with an upward force that counteracts the force of gravity and lifts the materialsinto the air to be sorted in the air. In some embodiments, the plastic fraction has a specific gravity(SG) of around 1, aluminum has a SG of around 2.6 and Copper is the heaviest with a SG of 8.95.

[0041] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of method of recycling LCO batteries in dry formaccording to some embodiments herein. At a step 502, one or more batteries are received and sorted to separate LCO batteries using a sorting unit 102. At a step 504, the sorted LCO batteries are ground with grind unit parameters using the grinding unit 104. At a step 506, the ground materials are sifted for separation of the ground materials into the coarse fraction 112 and the fine fractionl l4 a sieve analysis methodusing the sifter unit 106. At a step 508, thecoarse fraction 112 is segregated into copper, aluminum, plastic, and waste materials based on shape, size, and density of a particle of the ground material using the air classifier 108. At a step 510, the recycling process for the LCO batteries is enabled using the fine fraction 114 from the sifter unit 106 and the second coarse fraction 304 from the air classifier 108.

[0042] The methodof recycling the LCO batteries is used to segregate the materials from the LCO batteries. The segregated materials extracted from the LCO batteries may be reused for any other purposes, as the materials such as cobalt are extracted in the purest form. The method retrieves materials in the purest form that is cheaper than the existing solutions.

[0043] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope.