Efficient physical extraction of Al from Li-ion battery Al dross using vacuum melting-vibration screening

Li-ion battery Al dross (LBAD) poses significant environmental risks due to its hazard, with potential harm to the ecosystems during storage, landfilling and recycling processes. This study introduces a novel method (Vacuum melting-Vibration screening (VM-VS)) to efficiently recover Al from LBAD generated during the decommissioning of Li-ion batteries. VM results indicated that Al formed to metallic melt, without chemical transformations and physical volatilization, and extracted Al (99.99 % purity) directly from LBAD (88 %). In contrast, the behavior of volatile impurities such as Zn, Na, As, and Pb, were efficiently removed (up to 99.99 %) through solid-gas phase transitions and subsequent evaporation. Refractory impurities, including Fe, Cu, and Ni, exhibited behavior similar to Al and were concentrated in the final residue, achieving a recycling efficiency of 99 %. VS based on particle size and volumetric weight revealed that larger Al particles remained on the upper layer, while medium and fine impurities were separated into the middle and lower layers, respectively. Ultimately, 99.99 % pure Al was isolated as metal blocks through physical remelting and crystallization. This promising method not only enables the environmentally safe disposal of LBAD but also ensures the efficient recovery of sustainable Al resources.