Ing. Mgr. Bc. Jan Kočí

Lithium is crucial in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), serving as a main component of the electrolyte and cathode. Elements such as cobalt, nickel, and manganese are also vital for high performance, energy density, and stability. This study aimed to examine the behaviour of end-of-life cathode material (LiNi0.6Mn0.2Co0.2O2) and its valuable metals after exposure to temperatures between 100 and 400 °C, comparing it with untreated material. The lithium content cannot be reliably determined by conventional analytical methods, so inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) was chosen for this purpose. For ICP-OES measurements, samples were dissolved in different solvents for a specified time, and the concentrations of lithium, nickel, manganese, and cobalt were measured. From the measured values, their theoretical yields were calculated. Due to the annealing at given temperatures and subsequent dissolution, this step can be considered as the first stage of the pyrometallurgical-hydrometallurgical process used in battery recycling. The study was complemented by further analyses to monitor the effect of annealing temperatures on the properties of the material. Based on the results, it was found that the highest theoretical yield in this temperature range was for material annealed at 400 °C and dissolved in 20 % nitric acid for 4 h.

The significant deployment of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) within a wide application field covering small consumer electronics, light and heavy means of transport, such as e-bikes, e-scooters, and electric vehicles (EVs), or energy storage stationary systems will inevitably lead to generating notable amounts of spent batteries in the coming years. Considering the environmental perspective, material resource sustainability, and terms of the circular economy, recycling represents a highly prospective strategy for LIB end-of-life (EOL) management. In contrast with traditional, large-scale, implemented recycling methods, such as pyrometallurgy or hydrometallurgy, direct recycling technology constitutes a promising solution for LIB EOL treatment with outstanding environmental benefits, including reduction of energy consumption and emission footprint, and weighty economic viability. This work comprehensively assesses the limitations and challenges of state-of-the-art, implemented direct recycling methods for spent LIB cathode and anode material treatment. The introduced approaches include solid-state sintering, electrochemical relithiation in organic and aqueous electrolytes, and ionothermal, solution, and eutectic relithiation methods. Since most direct recycling techniques are still being developed and implemented primarily on a laboratory scale, this review identifies and discusses potential areas for optimization to facilitate forthcoming large-scale industrial implementation.

Recycling lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is crucial for environmental sustainability and resource conservation. However, current recycling procedures, particularly for smaller battery formats, pose several challenges. With the increasing demands of the circular economy for LIB waste treatment, it is essential to identify and address obstacles associated with concurrent processes. Thus, this study focuses on characterizing and examining the dilemmas of electrochemical discharging of cylindrical LIB cells. It primarily examines the quantity and composition of released battery mass from nickel-aluminium-cobalt (NCA) LIB cells using aqueous discharging via solutions of sodium chloride (NaCl), sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and sodium nitrate (NaNO3) within the 5-30 wt. % range. Additionally, the work monitored several procedure parameters, including the voltage profiles during discharging, the extent of battery contacts and casing damage after discharging, the character and material composition of the obtained battery mass, and the composition of the wastewater obtained after separating the solid product from waste solutions. Consequently, it was determined that the industrial implementation of these procedures, including material leakage and disposal, may incur economic losses of up to 1560 USD/tonne due to metal loss.

Battery recycling involves the recovery of materials from end-of-life (EOL) batteries, which are subsequently reused in the manufacturing of new products. Metals such as cobalt, lithium, nickel, manganese, aluminium, and copper are essential components of the electrodes of common lithium-ion batteries. In light of the growing demand for advancements in battery recycling, there is a critical need to start systematically documenting the chemistry of different types of batteries and to monitor the changes within their internal composition between the different states of charge, such as full charge, full discharge, deep discharge or shipping-state. In this work, a new methodology for a complex, quick, cheap, and effective material composition survey is presented. This methodology was applied to three types of cylindrical (18650) cells with two different cathode materials, specifically nickel cobalt aluminium (NCA) and nickel manganese cobalt (NMC), all with a capacity range from 3350 to 3500 mAh. This work offers a comprehensive, step-by-step description of the versatile battery research process, serving as the foundation for a streamlined and effective methodology for obtaining selected chemical and material parameters. The research endeavours to compare the material composition of lithium-ion cells at various states of charge to assess recycling potential and establish a database containing battery parameters. The results are essential for the automation and roboticization of the advanced recycling sector.

Environmental concerns push for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and technologies with a low carbon footprint. In the transportation sector, this drives the transition toward electric vehicles (EVs), which are nowadays mainly based on lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). As the number of produced EVs is rapidly growing, a large amount of waste batteries is expected in the future. Recycling seems to be one of the most promising end-of-life (EOL) methods; it reduces raw material consumption in battery production and the environmental burden. Thus, this work introduces a comprehensive pre-recycling material characterization of waste nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) LIB cells from a fully electric battery electric vehicle (BEV), which represents a basis for cost-effective and environmentally friendly recycling focusing on the efficiency of the implemented technique. The composition of the NCM 622 battery cell was determined; it included a LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 spinel on a 15 μm Al-based current collector (cathode), a graphite layer on 60 μm copper foil (anode), 25 μm PE/PVDF polymer separator, and a LiPF6 salt electrolyte with a 1:3 ratio in primary solvents DMC and DEC. The performed research was based on a series of X-ray, infrared (IR) measurements, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) characterization of an aqueous solution with dissolved electrolytes. These results will be used in subsequent works devoted to optimizing the most suitable recycling technique considering the environmental and economic perspectives.

Screen-printed electrodes modified with an oligomeric film derived from 3-aminobenzoic acid (o-3ABA/SPEs) were characterized by imaging and spectroscopy techniques and applied for new psychoactive substances (NPSs) detection. Studies of o-3ABA/SPEs were carried out in comparison to polyaniline modified ones (PANI/SPEs). It was found that i) the polymerization occurs through amino moiety, ii) the carboxylic group determines the selectivity of o-3ABA toward NPSs, iii) the highest affinity was obtained for o-3ABA - secondary cathinone (Kads(butylone)=6.12∙105) and PANI - aminoindane (Kads(2-aminoinadane)=1.07∙105). This work presents the determination of butylone in oral fluid and demonstrates the advantages of the modified SPEs.

This paper is focused on the development and modification of inorganic refractory nanofibers for advanced applications, made from the most available ceramic raw materials (Al2O3 and SiO2) in the right proportion for crystallization of mullite, commonly used high-temperature material. The intention is to create a modifiable refractory material for use in electrotechnical applications as electrodes, separators, or a solid electrolyte in a new type of safe solid-state batteries. For these reasons, the nanofibers are modified with different conductive materials, for example different types of spinels. Spinels with the formula AB2O4, specifically CuCr2O4, have been studied due to their significant electrical and magnetic properties, that are suitable for their intended purposes.