Quantification of Recoverable Components of Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries

Recovering spent lithium-ion batteries can help protect the environment and generate added value. The aim of this work is to characterize the various parts of these spent lithium-ion batteries for subsequent recovery of the precious metal elements. The batteries were collected, electrically discharged and dismantled, and the various components quantified. The cathode powder obtained after basic leaching was characterized by ICP and XRD. The batteries consist of steel (21.10%) and plastic shells, the anode (24.40%), the electrolyte-soaked separator and the cathode (35.86%). The anode consists of graphite deposited on a copper foil representing 15.15% of its weight, and the cathode of aluminum foil (3.93%) and lithium cobalt oxide. Physico-chemical characterization of the cathode powder yielded CoO (65.30%), Li2O (5.39%), MnO (15.78%) and NiO (2.17%). At the end of this study, we note the presence of precious metals, on which our subsequent recovery work will focus.