Methods and systems for detecting electronics amongst a plurality of recycling materials.

Lithium ion battery cathode material recycling methods and systems are disclosed. The methods can include plasma-assisted separation, which can simultaneously purify the surface of particles of used or damaged cathode material and isolate larger microparticles from smaller nanoparticles, which produces one group having a desired particle morphology and another group lacking the desired particle morphology. These two groups of particles (when present) are further processed using a micro-molten shell process that generates a molten shell of lithium precursors, with optional chemistry enhancing additives, and employs a thermal/plasma treatment to relithiate the particles, restore morphology to particles lacking the desired morphology, and to upgrade the cathode chemistry when additives are included. The relithiation and morphology restoration are primarily employed on used or damaged materials, whereas the chemistry enhancing/upgrading can be employed on new and used materials.

Disclosed is a system and method for the recycling of waste composite feed materials such as printed circuit boards (PCBs), batteries, catalysts, plastic, plastic composites such as food packaging materials, for example Tetra Pak, mattresses, compact disks (CDs, DVDs), automobile shredder residue (ASR), electric cable wastes, liquid display panels, mobile phones of various sizes or combinations of the above using a new pyrolysis system and method.

An apparatus for carrying out size reduction of battery materials under immersion conditions can include a housing configured to hold an immersion liquid comprising at least one of sodium hydroxide and calcium hydroxide. A first feed chute may define an opening therein for receiving battery materials of a first type into the housing and a first submergible comminuting device may be disposed within the housing and submerged in the immersion liquid to receive the battery materials of the first type from the first feed chute. The first submergible comminuting device may be configured to cause a size reduction of the battery materials of the first type to form a first reduced-size battery material.

An apparatus for carrying out size reduction of battery materials under immersion conditions can include a housing configured to hold an immersion liquid comprising at least one of sodium hydroxide and calcium hydroxide. A first feed chute may define an opening therein for receiving battery materials of a first type into the housing and a first submergible comminuting device may be disposed within the housing and submerged in the immersion liquid to receive the battery materials of the first type from the first feed chute. The first submergible comminuting device may be configured to cause a size reduction of the battery materials of the first type to form a first reduced-size battery material.

A process for recovering component materials from lithium battery materials, the process comprising the steps of: a) processing lithium battery materials in a comminuting apparatus comprising at least a first comminuting device that is submerged in an immersion liquid, thereby creating reduced-size battery materials and liberating electrolyte material and a black mass material comprising anode and cathode powders from within the lithium battery materials and providing a sized-reduced feed stream comprising the reduced size battery materials and the black mass material and electrolyte materials entrained within the immersion liquid; and b) processing the size-reduced feed stream to obtain at least a black mass solid stream that comprises the black mass material and a retained portion of the immersion liquid having entrained electrolyte materials.

An apparatus for carrying out size reduction of battery materials under immersion conditions having a battery inlet and at least a first comminuting device disposed within a housing and configured to cause a size reduction of the battery materials to form reduced-size battery materials and to liberate electrolyte materials and a black mass material comprising anode and cathode powders from within the battery materials. An immersion liquid can be within the housing and can submerge the first comminuting device so the black mass material and the reduced-size battery material are entrained within the immersion liquid to form a sized-reduced feed stream. A feed outlet may be downstream from the first comminuting device.

A process for recovering component materials from lithium battery materials, the process comprising the steps of: a) processing lithium battery materials in a comminuting apparatus comprising at least a first comminuting device that is submerged in an immersion liquid, thereby creating reduced-size battery materials and liberating electrolyte material and a black mass material comprising anode and cathode powders from within the lithium battery materials and providing a sized-reduced feed stream comprising the reduced size battery materials and the black mass material and electrolyte materials entrained within the immersion liquid; and b) processing the size-reduced feed stream to obtain at least a black mass solid stream that comprises the black mass material and a retained portion of the immersion liquid having entrained electrolyte materials.

An apparatus for carrying out size reduction of battery materials under immersion conditions having a battery inlet and at least a first comminuting device disposed within a housing and configured to cause a size reduction of the battery materials to form reduced-size battery materials and to liberate electrolyte materials and a black mass material comprising anode and cathode powders from within the battery materials. An immersion liquid can be within the housing and can submerge the first comminuting device so the black mass material and the reduced-size battery material are entrained within the immersion liquid to form a sized-reduced feed stream. A feed outlet may be downstream from the first comminuting device.

A lead needle and lead slime separator for treating thin lead grid of waste lead-acid storage battery, includes: a barrel body, corrosion-resistant and wear-resistant balls, a feed device, a bracket device, a discharge device and a driver. A feed hole is arranged at one end of the barrel body, a discharge port is arranged at the other end of the barrel body. The feed device is mounted at the feed hole, and the discharge device is mounted at the discharge hole. The bracket device is connected to the barrel body, the driver is connected to the barrel body. The corrosion-resistant and wear-resistant balls are arranged in the barrel body. The separator can make the thin lead grid separation complete, clean and impurity-free. It does not need to be melted at high temperature in the melting furnace.