Lithium-Ion battery recycling

Li Mn Fe Co Ni Cu AI

www.URT-RECYCLING.com
WEEE KNOW HOW
URT PLANT ENGINEERING SUCCESSFUL IN
BATTERY RECYCLING
The first plant for recycling end of life e-car batteries
from an automobile manufacturer started operations
at the beginning of 2021.
„Our goal is to create our own cycle with more than
90 percent recycling of our batteries,“ says Thomas
Tiedje, Head of Technical Planning at Volkswagen
Component. „We don‘t want to hand over the process
at any point, but prefer to qualify our own employees
and thus make them fit for the future.“ The special fea-
ture: only batteries that really can no longer be used
in any other way are recycled. Before that, the modu-
les built into the battery system are checked to see if
they are still in good condition and can possibly be
given a second life in mobile energy storage systems
such as flexible fast charging columns or charging ro-
bots. This significantly extends the useful life of the
modules.
This innovative plant was designed, built and delive-
red turnkey by the Bavarian plant manufacturer URT
Umwelt- und Recyclingtechnik GmbH (URT) from Karl-
stadt am Main.
Image: Source Volkswagen AG
For more than 25 years, URT has been involved in The aim of the plant is to separate the materials of a
the construction of processing plants for electrical and lithium-ion battery as well as possible so that each re-
electronic waste and supplies them worldwide. It is cyclable material can be used again in a new battery.
precisely this knowledge that can be incorporated
into the processing plants for batteries, because URT
is, for example, a specialist in shredding in inert atmo-
spheres to prevent exothermic reactions, which can
also occur during battery shredding.
WEEE KNOW HOW

Battery

electrical
Discharging
energy

cables, PCB, steel and

Dismantling
aluminium cases

Inert one step

shredding

Drying electrolyte
Image: Source Volkswagen AG

Plant area with shredding machine, airlock technology and module feeding system black mass:
Sieving nickel, manganese,
cobalt, lithium, graphite

Ferrous metal
URT PLANT CONCEPT separation
ferrous metal

The previously deep-discharged batteries are fed into
a single-stage shredding process via a sluice system.
Subsequently, the shredded total fraction enters a va-
cuum dryer, which evaporates the electrolytes, which
are then condensed again and filled in liquid form.
This process section, from shredding to dryer dischar-
ge, is encapsulated and kept inert by a nitrogen at-
mosphere.
The dry active material (black mass) is separated
from the remaining components by sieving and filled.
active mass must be almost completely separated.
Ferrous metals are separated from non-ferrous metals Non-ferrous aluminium, copper,
by magnetic separation processes. Anode and catho- metal separation mixed plastics
de foils are further components of the batteries that
are separated in the plant. In addition to falling below
the occupational exposure limits, the emission values Foil downstream copper/aluminium,
are also below the TA Luft (Technical Instructions on treatment plastic foils, black mass
Air Quality Control). This is ensured by a multi-stage
exhaust air after-treatment system consisting of gas
scrubbing and activated carbon adsorption.
Plant concepts with exhaust air post-combustion are Images: Source Volkswagen AG

In order to meet the European recycling targets, the also conceivable.

 EV-modules
WEEE KNOW HOW

WEEE batteries Cellpacks

Cellphone batteries Pouch cells

Black mass analysis from

Cellphone Batteries
Black mass %
Al 0.99
Ba 0.01
Cathode foils Anode foils
Cd 0.001
Co 28.86
Cr 0.18
Cu 0.99
Fe 1.17
Li 2.66
Mg 0.09
Mn 0.19
Ni 1.16
P 0.33
Si 0.37

INPUT EXPERIENCE IN RECOVERY OF A Ti

Zn
0.05
0.02

MATERIALS BATTERY RECYCLING HIGH PURITY BLACK MASS Zr 0.01

In addition to recycling plants for high-voltage batter-
ies from electromobility, URT is also engineering and
building processing plants for batteries from electron-
ic and electrical appliances, such as hand tools, lap-
tops, e-bikes, e-scooters or mobile phones.
Many plant modules that URT uses in battery recy- The URT lithium-ion battery recycling plant enables a industry then separate the black mass into its individ-
cling were developed by URT and have been in use recovery of more than 98% of the black mass. ual components using a hydrometallurgical process,
for many years in other recycling tasks. In addition Due to the one-step, slow-rotating shredding process i.e. using water and solvents. These can be used as
to shredding in a nitrogen atmosphere or exhaust air less fines from the other fractions are carried over into secondary raw material for the construction of cath-
post-combustion, the various separation techniques the black mass. This produces a black mass of the odes of new batteries without any loss of quality com-
are also part of these modules. highest purity. Partner companies from the chemical pared to new, primary material.
Apart from Volkswagen, these techniques have also
been used in other battery recycling plants.
For example, URT supplied the shredding technolo-
gy for the LithoRec II battery development project in
2014.
URT Reference plant at Volkswagen

Images: Source Volkswagen AG

One-stop planning, production, delivery and service

Factory Karlstadt , Germany

Shop Assembly After-Sales-Service Design Department

URT Umwelt- und Recyclingtechnik GmbH
Am Hammersteig 5a, 97753 Karlstadt, Germany
Fon: +49 (0) 9353 9068-0, Fax: +49 (0) 9353 9068-68
www.urt-recycling.com, info@urt-recycling.de
Reprints and photomechanical and electronic reproduction,
in whole or in part, require the express permission of
Firma URT Umwelt- und Recyclingtechnik GmbH
Am Hammersteig 5a, 97753 Karlstadt, Germany.

Lithium 09/2021 engl.