Unraveling the nature of sulfide ions in hydrometallurgical recycling of NCM622 cathode material

Zheng, Yadong; Liu, Yangtao; Hou, Jiahui; Meng, Zifei; Zhou, Xiangyu; Yang, Zhenzhen; Wang, Yan

doi:10.1016/j.ensm.2023.103128

Unraveling the nature of sulfide ions in hydrometallurgical recycling of NCM622 cathode material

Journal Article · Fri Feb 10 00:00:00 EST 2023 · Energy Storage Materials

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ensm.2023.103128· OSTI ID:2349074

Zheng, Yadong ^[1]; Liu, Yangtao ^[1]; Hou, Jiahui ^[1]; Meng, Zifei ^[1]; Zhou, Xiangyu ^[1]; Yang, Zhenzhen ^[2]; Wang, Yan ^[1]

Worcester Polytechnic Institute, MA (United States)
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

The use of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has increased dramatically since its initial inception in the late 20th century. Such a surge in the LIB market and industry has resulted in a huge demand for mineral resources. Besides, the large scale of production will lead to massive amounts of waste batteries in the end. As such, recycling is seen as an end-of-pipe process to resolve sustainability and environmental concerns. The hydrometallurgical recycling is considered to be the most prominent method to recover cathode materials from spent LIBs owing to its high leaching efficiency and low energy costs. A series of procedures including pretreatment of the spent LIBs, acid leaching of the black mass, chemical co-precipitation of the hydroxide precursor, and sintering of the cathode active material need to be operated precisely. In this aspect, the impurities introduced during the process could pose a serious threat to the reaction stability as well as recycling consistency. Here, the impact of sulfide ions on recovered LiNi_0.6Co_0.2Mn_0.2O₂ (NCM622) cathode material with the method of hydrometallurgy is first investigated in detail. This study shows that hydrometallurgical process is not obviously influenced by sulfide impurity. No signs of secondary phase or impurity inclusion are spotted in synthesized cathodes. Under 5 at % sulfide concentration conditions, the obtained NCM622 cathode exhibits a capacity of 159.4 mAh/g after 100 cycles at 1/3C, which is at the same level as virgin benchmark. The difference in rate performance between cathodes with and without additional sulfide is less than 2 % or even smaller. In short, the results indicate a neutral status of sulfide ions in hydrometallurgical recycling.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO); USDOE Office of Science (SC)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-06CH11357

OSTI ID:: 2349074

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 2229947

Journal Information:: Energy Storage Materials, Journal Name: Energy Storage Materials Vol. 65; ISSN 2405-8297

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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