KR20240058236A - Recycling apparatus of used lithium ion battery - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a waste lithium-ion battery recycling device, which includes a supply unit for supplying waste lithium-ion batteries, a discharge tank installed behind the supply unit and containing an electrolyte for discharging the waste lithium-ion battery, and the inside of the discharge tank. It is installed in the discharge transfer unit, which circulates the waste lithium-ion batteries supplied from the supply unit in the forward and backward directions and discharges the waste lithium-ion batteries satisfying a preset discharge amount to the rear, and the discharge unit corresponding to the discharge transfer unit. It is installed at the top of the tank and corresponds to the discharge amount measurement unit and the discharge transfer unit that detects the hydrogen concentration generated by the discharge of the waste lithium ion battery and measures the discharge amount of the waste lithium ion battery circulating in the discharge transfer unit. A perforation part that is movably installed on one side of the lower part of the discharge amount measuring part among the upper part of the discharge tank and drills one side of the spent lithium-ion battery that circulates in the discharge transfer part and injects electrolyte at the same time, and the inside of the discharge tank A first pulverizing unit installed behind the discharge transfer unit and primarily pulverizing the waste lithium-ion battery discharged from the discharge transfer unit, and a first pulverizing unit installed behind the first pulverizing unit inside the discharge tank, and from the first pulverizing unit A second pulverizing unit for secondary pulverizing the primary pulverized waste lithium ion battery, and a waste lithium ion pulverized through the first pulverizing unit installed between the first pulverizing unit and the second pulverizing unit inside the discharge tank. A magnetic material recovery unit for recovering metal components contained in the battery, and a suspended matter recovery unit installed between the first pulverization unit and the second pulverization unit inside the discharge tank and recovering floating substances floating to the liquid level of the electrolyte solution. It comes true.
According to the present invention as described above, the structure of the device is improved to perform the pre-treatment process including discharge and crushing processes and the post-treatment process for recovering valuable metals as a single device, resulting in the cost of separate manufacturing of each device. In addition to reducing costs, productivity is greatly improved as pre- and post-treatment processes are performed continuously.
In addition, the present invention can perform discharge using electrolyte more quickly and safely, which not only improves productivity but also prevents safety accidents that may occur unexpectedly.
In addition, the present invention recovers valuable metals contained in the electrolyte solution directly from the electrolyte solution, so unlike the conventional method of using acid, the present invention is environmentally friendly and does not require an additional acid treatment process or a water washing process for intermediate products, thereby significantly reducing costs. You can.

Description

{Recycling apparatus of used lithium ion battery}

The present invention relates to a waste lithium-ion battery recycling device, and more specifically, by improving the structure of the device, a pre-treatment process including discharging and crushing processes and a post-treatment process for recovery of valuable metals can be performed with one device. It relates to a waste lithium-ion battery recycling device that not only allows discharge by electrolyte to be performed more quickly and safely, but also allows valuable metals contained in the electrolyte to be recovered in an environmentally friendly manner by directly recovering the valuable metals contained in the electrolyte.

The demand for lithium-ion batteries, which are generally used by charging, has increased exponentially as mobile devices such as cordless phones, smartphones, and mobile devices are widely used. Recently, the use of battery packs containing multiple unit battery cells has also increased. There is a situation.

Meanwhile, a battery pack contains a plurality of unit battery cells that are electrically connected. These battery packs are widely used in electric vehicles (EV) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), which are attracting attention as next-generation transportation means, and their use will increase in the future. Although it is expected to increase rapidly, research on disposal methods for waste lithium-ion batteries is still insufficient.

In order to recycle waste lithium-ion batteries, a battery discharge process is required. This discharge process is usually performed by submerging the battery in an electrolyte such as salt water and leaving it for 5 to 15 days, which is recognized as a safe method and is mainly used. there is.

However, when discharging a large amount of waste lithium-ion batteries, the above electrolyte discharge method makes it difficult to check whether discharge has occurred due to the diversity of battery types and differences in charge amount, so waste lithium-ion batteries that are not properly discharged in the grinding process after the discharge process. There is an inherent risk that an explosion may occur.

Meanwhile, waste lithium-ion battery powder that has gone through a pretreatment process including the above-described discharge and crushing processes contains valuable metals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel, so after the pretreatment process, a post-treatment process to recover these valuable metals is performed. .

However, conventionally, in this post-treatment process, strong acids such as nitric acid, sulfuric acid, and hydrochloric acid are used to dissolve waste lithium-ion battery powder and then perform a neutralization reaction to recover valuable metals.

However, the above-described recovery method requires the use of expensive chemicals, an additional acid treatment process is required to solve environmental problems arising from the use of acids, and a large amount of intermediate products are generated during the neutralization reaction, which are converted into impurities. Because it works, multiple additional washing processes are required, which causes the problem of a significant increase in cost.

In addition, in the past, as the above-mentioned pre-treatment process and post-treatment process were performed in separate devices, not only did the cost of manufacturing each device increase, but the pre- and post-treatment processes were not performed continuously, leading to a decrease in productivity. Occurs.

Korean Patent No. 2134719

The present invention was devised to solve the above problems. The purpose of the present invention is to improve the structure of the device to combine the pre-treatment process including discharge and crushing processes and the post-treatment process for recovery of valuable metals into one device. A waste lithium-ion battery recycling device that can perform discharge by electrolyte more quickly and safely, and can recover valuable metals contained in the electrolyte in an environmentally friendly manner by recovering the valuable metals contained in the electrolyte directly from the electrolyte. It is provided.

According to the present invention for achieving the above object, there is a supply unit for supplying waste lithium-ion batteries, a discharge tank installed at the rear of the supply unit, and containing an electrolyte for discharging the waste lithium-ion battery therein, and a discharge tank on one side inside the discharge tank. Installed, a discharge transfer unit that circulates the waste lithium ion batteries supplied from the supply unit in the forward and backward directions and discharges waste lithium ion batteries satisfying a preset discharge amount to the rear, and a discharge tank corresponding to the discharge transfer unit. A discharge amount measurement unit installed at the top, which detects the hydrogen concentration generated by the discharge of the waste lithium-ion battery and measures the discharge amount of the waste lithium-ion battery circulating in the discharge transfer unit, and a discharge amount corresponding to the discharge transfer unit A perforation part that is movably installed on one side of the lower part of the discharge quantity measuring part in the upper part of the discharge tank and drills one side of the spent lithium-ion battery that circulates in the discharge transfer part and at the same time injects electrolyte, and a part inside the discharge tank. It is installed at the rear of the discharge transfer unit, and is installed at the rear of the first grinding unit inside the first grinding unit and the discharge tank for primary crushing of the waste lithium-ion battery discharged from the discharge transfer unit, and 1 from the first grinding unit. A second pulverizing unit for secondary pulverizing the secondary pulverized waste lithium ion battery, and a waste lithium ion battery installed between the first pulverizing unit and the second pulverizing unit inside the discharge tank and pulverized through the first pulverizing unit. a magnetic material recovery unit for recovering the metal components contained in the discharge tank, and a suspended matter recovery unit installed between the first pulverizing part and the second pulverizing part inside the discharge tank and recovering suspended matter floating to the liquid level of the electrolyte solution. A waste lithium-ion battery recycling device is provided.

Here, the discharge transfer unit is formed with a storage space with an open top to store the waste lithium-ion battery therein, is installed to be movable circularly in the front and rear directions of the discharge tank while being spaced apart from each other at a predetermined distance, and the upper end is rotatably installed. It is characterized by including a plurality of trays and a power means installed on one side of each tray to rotate each tray to discharge the spent lithium-ion batteries satisfying a preset discharge amount to the outside of the tray.

In addition, the perforation unit is installed to be movable in an upper part of the discharge tank, and at least one power transmission unit installed in a lower part of the vertical movement frame, and installed to be inclined downwardly in a lower part of the power transmission unit, wherein the power It is installed to be withdrawn from the inside and outside of the power transmission unit by the forward and reverse rotational forces transmitted from the transmission unit, and includes a perforated tip having a hollow inside into which the electrolyte is injected.

In addition, the suspended matter recovery unit has a tubular shape with the upper and lower parts open, and the upper end is disposed on the liquid level of the electrolyte, and the lower end is installed in a recovery pipe extending downward and the inside of the recovery pipe, and the suspended matter contained in the electrolyte flowing in from the upper part. It is installed at a lower part of the recovery filter inside the recovery pipe and a recovery filter for filtering the recovery pipe, and includes a suction fan that introduces the electrolyte into the upper part of the recovery pipe.

Meanwhile, it is installed at the rear of the discharge tank and further includes a valuable metal recovery unit for recovering valuable metals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel contained in the electrolyte supplied from the discharge tank, wherein the valuable metal recovery unit is located at the rear of the discharge tank. installed, a recovery tank into which the electrolyte discharged from the discharge tank flows, a heavy metal adsorption unit installed inside the recovery tank to adsorb heavy metals from the electrolyte flowing into the recovery tank, and a rear portion of the heavy metal adsorption unit inside the recovery tank. an ion exchange unit installed in the electrolyte to filter out impurities other than valuable metals contained in the electrolyte, and a valuable metal recovery unit installed behind the ion exchange unit inside the recovery tank to adsorb and recover the valuable metals contained in the electrolyte. It is characterized by including.

Here, the heavy metal adsorption unit is a plate-shaped member and is characterized in that it is formed in a structure in which ceramic-coated zeolite is filled between non-woven fabrics.

In addition, the valuable metal recovery unit is arranged in the vertical direction at regular intervals inside the recovery tank, and has a plurality of adsorption rods that adsorb the valuable metal contained in the electrolyte when an electric current is applied, and a cylindrical shape with an open top. It is characterized in that the side includes an ion exchange membrane disposed along the circumference of each adsorption rod.

In addition, the valuable metal recovery unit includes a connection pipe that provides an inflow path for the electrolyte flowing from the discharge tank and a filter unit installed on one side of the interior of the connection pipe and filtering solid substances contained in the electrolyte flowing into the recovery tank. and a current sensor installed on the other inner side of the connection pipe and measuring the residual current of the electrolyte flowing into the recovery tank.

And, it is connected between the recovery tank and the discharge tank, and further comprises a temperature control unit including a circulation pipe that re-introduces the electrolyte solution flowing into the recovery tank into the discharge tank and a heat exchange unit installed on one side of the circulation pipe. do.

In addition, the temperature control unit is installed on the other side of the circulation pipe and further includes an emergency temperature control unit that supplies liquid nitrogen into the inside of the circulation pipe.

According to the present invention as described above, the structure of the device is improved to perform the pre-treatment process including discharge and crushing processes and the post-treatment process for recovering valuable metals as a single device, resulting in the cost of separate manufacturing of each device. In addition to reducing costs, productivity is greatly improved as pre- and post-treatment processes are performed continuously.

In addition, the present invention can perform discharge using electrolyte more quickly and safely, which not only improves productivity but also prevents safety accidents that may occur unexpectedly.

In addition, the present invention recovers valuable metals contained in the electrolyte solution directly from the electrolyte solution, so unlike the conventional method of using acid, the present invention is environmentally friendly and does not require an additional acid treatment process or a water washing process for intermediate products, thereby significantly reducing costs. You can.

1 is a schematic diagram of a waste lithium-ion battery recycling device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a diagram for explaining a discharge transfer unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a view for explaining a perforation portion according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 4 is a diagram for explaining a floating matter recovery unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 5 is a diagram for explaining a heavy metal adsorption unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that like elements in the drawings are represented by like symbols wherever possible. Additionally, detailed descriptions of known functions and configurations that may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the invention are omitted.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a waste lithium-ion battery recycling device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a diagram for explaining a discharge transfer unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 3 is an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a diagram for explaining a perforation unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 is a diagram for explaining a suspended matter recovery unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 5 is a drawing for explaining a heavy metal adsorption unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. am.

Referring to FIG. 1, the waste lithium ion battery recycling device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a supply unit 10, a discharge tank 20, a discharge transfer unit 30, a discharge amount measurement unit 40, and a cloth. Study (50), first crushing unit (60), second crushing unit (70), magnetic material recovery unit (80), suspended matter recovery unit (90), valuable metal recovery unit (100), and temperature control unit (110) Includes.

The supply unit 10 is for supplying the waste lithium-ion battery (B) from the outside, and includes a first transport belt 11 that transports the waste lithium-ion battery (B) in one direction, and an upper part of the first transport belt 11. A current measuring means (12) for measuring the current of the waste lithium-ion battery (B) installed on one side and transported in one direction, and a waste lithium-ion battery installed on one side of the rear end of the first transport belt (11) and transported in one direction. It includes a transfer robot 13 that picks up and transfers it to the discharge transfer unit 30, which will be described later.

This supply unit 10 separates and reuses the waste lithium-ion battery (B) separately through the transfer robot 13 when the current value of the waste lithium-ion battery (B) measured through the current measuring means 12 is more than a preset value, and the current value is Only waste lithium-ion batteries that are below a preset value are transferred to the discharge transfer unit 30 through the transfer robot 13.

The discharge tank 20 is installed at the rear of the supply unit 10, the top is open, and a first accommodation space (S1) is formed therein to accommodate the electrolyte for discharging the spent lithium-ion battery. Here, the electrolyte may be salt water, but is not limited thereto, and various electrolytes may be used as needed.

The discharge transfer unit 30 is installed at the front end inside the discharge tank 20, and circulates the waste lithium ion batteries supplied from the supply unit 10 in the forward and backward directions, as well as waste lithium ion batteries that satisfy a preset discharge amount. It serves to discharge to the first crushing unit 60 installed at the rear.

In a more general sense, as shown in FIG. 2, the discharge transfer unit 30 includes a circulation rail 31 installed to circulate in the front and rear directions inside the discharge tank 20, and the circulation rails 31 are spaced apart from each other at a predetermined distance. A plurality of moving bodies 32 moving along, a tray 33 having an upper end rotatably installed on one side of each moving body 32 and a storage space S in which a spent lithium-ion battery is stored, and a tray 33 ) and includes a power means 34 that is installed on one side of the tray 33 and rotates the upper part of the tray 33 to the side to discharge the spent lithium-ion battery stored inside to the outside.

This discharge transfer unit 30 laterally rotates only the tray 33 containing the spent lithium-ion batteries that satisfy a preset discharge amount based on the hydrogen concentration measured through the discharge amount measurement unit 40, which will be described later, to produce the corresponding discharge amount. Only the waste lithium-ion batteries stored in the tray 33 are discharged to the first crushing section 60, which will be described later.

And, the waste lithium-ion battery that does not satisfy the preset discharge amount is stored in the tray 33 and circulates in the forward and backward directions of the discharge tank 20 until it satisfies the preset discharge amount.

The discharge amount measuring unit 40 is installed on the upper part of the discharge tank 20 corresponding to the discharge transfer unit 30, and the concentration of hydrogen generated by the discharge of the spent lithium ion battery circulating in the discharge transfer unit 30. This measures the discharge amount of the waste lithium-ion battery circulating in the discharge transfer unit 30 by detecting a plurality of hydrogen collectors 41 installed along the circulation line at the top of the discharge tank 20 and each hydrogen It includes a concentration sensor 42 installed on one side of the collector 41 to measure the concentration of hydrogen.

This discharge amount measuring unit 40 provides the hydrogen concentration measured in each hydrogen collector 41 to a control unit (not shown), and the control unit provides the hydrogen concentration provided from the concentration sensor 42 of each hydrogen collector 41. After calculating the discharge amount of the waste lithium-ion battery stored in each tray 33 based on The tray 33 is rotated laterally to discharge only the corresponding waste lithium-ion batteries into the first crushing unit 60.

As above, the present invention checks the discharge amount of the waste lithium-ion battery circulating in the discharge transfer unit 30 through the discharge amount measurement unit 40 and first crushes only the waste lithium-ion battery that satisfies the preset discharge amount. By discharging into the unit 60, it is possible to prevent a safety accident in which the waste lithium-ion battery explodes during the process of crushing the waste lithium-ion battery in the first crushing unit 60.

The perforation part 50 is installed to be able to move up and down on one side of the lower part of the discharge amount measuring part 40 in the upper part of the discharge tank 20 corresponding to the discharge transport part 30, and the lung that moves circularly in the discharge transport part 30 It serves to perforate one side of the lithium-ion battery and simultaneously inject electrolyte, and as shown in (a) of Figure 3, includes a vertical movement frame 51, a power transmission unit 52, and a perforation tip 53. do.

The vertical movement frame 51 is installed on the upper part of the discharge tank 20 to enable vertical movement.

A plurality of power transmission units 52 are installed at the lower part of the vertical moving frame 51, and provide rotational force in the forward and reverse directions to the perforation tips 53 installed at the lower part of each.

The perforation tip 53 is installed at a downward angle at the bottom of each power transmission unit 52, and is installed so as to be withdrawn into and out of the power transmission unit 52 by the rotational force in the forward and reverse directions received from the power transmission unit 52. And a hollow (H) into which the electrolyte is injected is formed.

As shown in (b) of FIG. 3, the perforation tip 53 is formed by the rotational force of the power transmission unit 52 while the power transmission unit 52 is supported on the upper part of the spent lithium-ion battery. ) is introduced into the interior of the waste lithium-ion battery, forming a downwardly sloping hole (h) at the upper end of the waste lithium-ion battery, and electrolyte is injected into the hole (h) through the hollow (H).

Here, in the present invention, as the perforation hole (h) formed inside the waste lithium ion battery by the perforation portion 50 is formed to be inclined downward, the area where the inside of the waste lithium ion battery is in contact with the electrolyte increases, thereby increasing the waste lithium ion battery. It can provide a faster discharge rate.

The first crushing unit 60 is installed inside the discharge tank 20 at the rear of the discharge transport unit 30, and serves to primary crush the waste lithium ion battery discharged from the discharge transfer unit 30. The second transfer belt 61 installed at an upward angle at the rear of the transfer unit 30 and the waste lithium-ion battery installed at the rear of the second transfer belt 62 and transported rearward through the second transfer belt 61 are crushed. It includes a first crushing roller 62.

The second crushing unit 70 is installed behind the first crushing unit 60 inside the discharge tank 20, and serves to secondary crush the waste lithium ion battery discharged from the first crushing unit 60. In this way, the third transport belt 71 is installed at an upward slope at the rear of the first pulverizing unit 60, and the third transport belt 71 is installed at the rear of the third transport belt 71 and is transported rearward through the third transport belt 71. It includes a second crushing roller 72 that crushes the waste lithium-ion battery.

In the present invention, as the first grinding unit 60 and the second grinding unit 70 are installed inside the discharge tank 20, waste lithium is collected through the first grinding unit 60 and the second grinding unit 70. Not only does continuous discharge occur during the process of pulverizing the ion battery, but the contact area with the electrolyte increases significantly in the case of the pulverized waste lithium-ion battery, resulting in faster discharge of the waste lithium-ion battery.

That is, in the present invention, since continuous discharge occurs during the grinding process as described above, the waste lithium-ion battery is discharged by discharging the waste lithium-ion battery in the discharge transfer unit 30 only to a preset discharge amount, that is, to the extent that no explosion occurs during the grinding process. You can do it.

Accordingly, the present invention can significantly shorten the overall discharge process time by reducing unnecessary discharge process time in the discharge transfer unit 30 and continuously discharging the spent lithium-ion battery during the grinding process.

The magnetic material recovery unit 80 is installed between the first pulverizing unit 60 and the second pulverizing unit 70 inside the discharge tank, with the upper end disposed at the liquid level of the electrolyte and the lower end extending downward.

This magnetic fire recovery unit 80 serves to recover the metal material contained in the waste lithium-ion battery pulverized through the first pulverization unit 60 from the electrolyte solution.

The suspended matter recovery unit 90 is installed at the rear of the magnetic matter recovery unit 80 to recover suspended substances floating to the surface of the electrolyte, and includes a recovery pipe 91, a recovery filter 92, and a suction fan 93. Includes.

The recovery pipe 91 has a tubular shape with the upper and lower ends open, with the upper end disposed at the liquid level of the electrolyte and the lower end extending downward.

This recovery pipe 91 is formed with its upper end inclined downward so that the electrolyte containing suspended matter can easily flow in from the liquid level of the electrolyte, and its lower end is inclined backward so that the inflow electrolyte is discharged to the rear of the discharge tank 20. It is formed sloping upward.

The recovery filter 92 is installed inside the recovery pipe 91 and serves to filter suspended matter flowing in together with the electrolyte.

The suction fan 93 is installed at the bottom of the recovery filter 92 inside the recovery pipe 91, and provides power to flow the electrolyte containing suspended matter into the upper part of the recovery pipe 91.

The valuable metal recovery unit 100 is installed at the rear of the discharge tank 20 and serves to recover valuable metals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel contained in the electrolyte supplied from the discharge tank 20. (101), a heavy metal adsorption unit (102), an ion exchange unit (103), a valuable metal recovery unit (104), a connector (105), a filter unit (106), and a current sensor (107).

The recovery tank 101 provides an area where the electrolyte solution in which solid substances have been filtered from the discharge tank 20 is supplied. The top is open, and the second storage tank 101 accommodates the electrolyte solution supplied from the discharge tank 20. A space (S2) is formed.

The heavy metal adsorption unit 102 is a plate-shaped member and is installed at the front end of the inside of the recovery tank 101 along the width direction of the recovery tank 100. A plurality of heavy metal adsorption units 102 are spaced apart along the front and rear of the recovery tank 101. It serves to adsorb heavy metals contained in the electrolyte solution introduced into the recovery tank (101).

This heavy metal adsorption unit 102 has a structure in which ceramic-coated zeolite 102b is filled between non-woven fabrics 102a, as shown in FIG. 5, which is an enlarged view of area A of FIG. 1.

Here, the reason for coating the zeolite 102b with ceramic is to prevent the zeolite 102b, which performs the function of adsorbing heavy metals, from being damaged by the electrolyte solution, thereby extending the lifespan of the heavy metal adsorption unit 102.

This zeolite (102b) can selectively adsorb specific heavy metals by controlling the size of the pores formed in the zeolite (102b) by controlling the amount of ceramic coating, so it can be used by adjusting the amount of ceramic coating as needed.

The ion exchange unit 103 is a plate-shaped member and is installed inside the recovery tank 101 at the rear of the heavy metal adsorption unit 102 along the width direction of the recovery tank 100, and is installed along the width direction of the recovery tank 100. It filters impurities other than valuable metals contained in the electrolyte and minimizes the inclusion of impurities other than valuable metals in the electrolyte supplied to the valuable metal recovery unit.

This ion exchange unit 103 may use an alkyl-based ion exchange resin.

The valuable metal recovery unit 104 is installed behind the ion exchange unit 103 inside the recovery tank 100, and serves to adsorb and recover valuable metals contained in the electrolyte solution that has passed through the ion exchange unit 103. As such, it includes an adsorption rod (104a) and an ion exchange membrane (104b).

A plurality of adsorption rods 104a are spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction within the recovery tank 100, and serve to adsorb valuable metals contained in the electrolyte when a current is applied from the outside.

The ion exchange membrane 104b has a cylindrical shape with an open top, and its inner surface is disposed along the circumference of each adsorption rod 104a, and serves to filter impurities other than valuable metals contained in the electrolyte solution.

This ion exchange membrane 104b may be an alkyl-based ion exchange resin.

The connection pipe 105 is installed between one rear side of the discharge tank 20 and the front of the recovery tank 100, and provides a path for electrolyte to flow from the discharge tank 20 to the recovery tank 100.

The filter unit 106 is installed on one inner side of the connection pipe 105 and serves to filter solid substances contained in the electrolyte solution flowing from the discharge tank 20 to the recovery tank 100.

The current sensor 107 is installed on the other inside of the connection pipe and serves to measure the residual current of the electrolyte flowing into the recovery tank 100.

This current sensor 107 measures the residual current of the electrolyte flowing into the recovery tank 100 to confirm the amount of valuable metals contained in the electrolyte and also calculates the concentration of the electrolyte through the measured residual current. do.

The temperature control unit 110 serves to control the temperature of the electrolyte stored in the discharge tank 20 and includes a circulation pipe 110a, a heat exchange unit 110b, and an emergency temperature control unit 110c.

The circulation pipe 110a is connected between the rear of the recovery tank 100 and the front of the discharge tank 20 and serves to circulate and supply the electrolyte solution flowing into the recovery tank 100 to the discharge tank 20.

The heat exchange unit 110b is installed on one side of the circulation pipe 110a, cools the electrolyte whose temperature has risen during the discharge idling process through heat exchange, and supplies it to the discharge tank 20, so that the discharge tank 20 is suitable for discharge. It plays a role in maintaining the optimal temperature.

This heat exchange unit 100b may use a known heat pump.

The emergency temperature control unit 110c is installed on the other side of the circulation pipe 110a, and when an emergency situation occurs in which the temperature of the discharge tank 20 increases excessively, the discharge tank 20 flows through the circulation pipe 110a. By supplying liquid nitrogen to the electrolyte flowing into the discharge tank 20, it serves to maintain an optimal temperature suitable for discharge.

As described above, the present invention improves the structure of the device to perform the pre-treatment process including discharge and crushing processes and the post-treatment process for recovering valuable metals in one device, thereby reducing the cost of separate manufacturing of each device. In addition to reducing costs, productivity is greatly improved as pre- and post-treatment processes are performed continuously.

In addition, the present invention can perform discharge using electrolyte more quickly and safely, which not only improves productivity but also prevents safety accidents that may occur unexpectedly.

In addition, the present invention recovers valuable metals contained in the electrolyte solution directly from the electrolyte solution, so unlike the conventional method of using acid, the present invention is environmentally friendly and does not require an additional acid treatment process or a water washing process for intermediate products, thereby significantly reducing costs. You can.

Although the present invention has been described in relation to the above preferred embodiments, various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the gist and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the appended patent claims are intended to cover such modifications or variations as fall within the subject matter of the present invention.

1: Waste lithium-ion battery recycling device 10: Supply department
11: first transport belt 12: current measuring means
13: Transfer robot 20: Discharge tank
30: Discharge transfer unit 31: Circulation rail
32: moving body 33: tray
34: power means 40: discharge amount measuring unit
41: Hydrogen collector 42: Concentration sensor
50: Perforation 51: Shanghai-dong frame
52: Power transmission unit 53: Perforation tip
60: first crushing unit 61: second transfer belt
62: first crushing roller 70: second crushing unit
71: Third transfer belt 72: Second grinding roller
80: Magnetic matter recovery unit 90: Floating matter recovery unit
91: recovery pipe 92: recovery filter
93: Suction fan 100: Valuable metal recovery unit
101: recovery tank 102: heavy metal adsorption unit
102a: Non-woven fabric 102b: Zeolite
103: Ion exchange unit 104: Valuable metal recovery unit
104a: Suction rod 104b: Ion exchange membrane
105: Connector 106: Filter unit
107: current sensor 110: temperature control unit
110a: circulation pipe 110b: heat exchange unit
110c: Emergency temperature control unit
S: Storage space S1: First storage space
S2: Second accommodation space H: Hollow
h: Perforated hole B: Waste lithium-ion battery

Claims (10)

a supply unit that supplies waste lithium-ion batteries;
a discharge tank installed at the rear of the supply unit and containing an electrolyte for discharging a waste lithium-ion battery therein;
a discharge transfer unit installed on one side of the discharge tank, which circulates the waste lithium ion batteries supplied from the supply unit in a forward and backward direction and discharges waste lithium ion batteries satisfying a preset discharge amount to the rear;
It is installed on the upper part of the discharge tank corresponding to the discharge transfer unit, and detects the hydrogen concentration generated by discharging the waste lithium ion battery to measure the discharge amount of the waste lithium ion battery circulating in the discharge transfer unit. measuring unit;
A perforation part that is movably installed on one side of the lower part of the discharge quantity measuring part among the upper part of the discharge tank corresponding to the discharge transport part, and which pierces one side of the spent lithium-ion battery that circulates in the discharge transport part and at the same time injects electrolyte. and;
a first crushing unit installed inside the discharge tank at the rear of the discharge transfer unit and primarily crushing the spent lithium-ion battery discharged from the discharge transfer unit;
a second grinding unit installed inside the discharge tank behind the first grinding unit and secondary grinding the waste lithium-ion battery that has been primarily pulverized by the first grinding unit;
a magnetic material recovery unit installed between the first pulverizing unit and the second pulverizing unit inside the discharge tank to recover metal components included in the spent lithium-ion battery pulverized through the first pulverizing unit;
A waste lithium-ion battery recycling device installed between the first pulverizing part and the second pulverizing part inside the discharge tank, and comprising a suspended matter recovery part that recovers suspended matter floating to the liquid level of the electrolyte solution.
According to paragraph 1,
The discharge transfer unit
A storage space with an open top is formed to store a spent lithium-ion battery therein, a plurality of trays are installed to be movable circularly in the front and rear directions of the discharge tank at a predetermined distance from each other, and the upper ends are rotatably installed;
A waste lithium-ion battery recycling device comprising a power means installed on one side of each tray to rotate each tray to discharge waste lithium-ion batteries satisfying a preset discharge amount to the outside of the tray.
According to paragraph 1,
The perforation part
a vertical movement frame installed on the upper part of the discharge tank to enable vertical movement;
At least one power transmission unit installed at the lower part of the vertical movement frame;
A perforated tip is installed at a downward slope at the lower part of the power transmission unit, is installed to be withdrawn from the inside and outside of the power transmission unit by the forward and reverse rotational forces received from the power transmission unit, and has a hollow inside into which the electrolyte is injected. A waste lithium-ion battery recycling device comprising a.
According to paragraph 1,
The floating matter recovery unit
a recovery tube that has a tubular shape with the upper and lower parts open, the upper part of which is disposed on the liquid level of the electrolyte, and the lower part of which extends downward;
a recovery filter installed inside the recovery pipe and filtering suspended matter contained in the electrolyte flowing from the top;
A waste lithium-ion battery recycling device installed at a lower portion of the recovery filter inside the recovery pipe and including a suction fan that flows electrolyte into the upper portion of the recovery pipe.
According to paragraph 1,
It further includes a valuable metal recovery unit installed at the rear of the discharge tank and recovering valuable metals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel contained in the electrolyte supplied from the discharge tank,
The valuable metal recovery department
a recovery tank installed behind the discharge tank and into which the electrolyte discharged from the discharge tank flows;
a heavy metal adsorption unit installed inside the recovery tank and adsorbing heavy metals from the electrolyte flowing into the recovery tank;
an ion exchange unit installed behind the heavy metal adsorption unit inside the recovery tank and filtering impurities other than valuable metals contained in the electrolyte;
A waste lithium-ion battery recycling device installed behind the ion exchange unit inside the recovery tank and comprising a valuable metal recovery unit that adsorbs and recovers valuable metals contained in the electrolyte.
According to clause 5,
The heavy metal adsorption unit is
A waste lithium-ion battery recycling device characterized in that it is formed as a plate-shaped member with a structure in which ceramic-coated zeolite is filled between non-woven fabrics.
According to clause 5,
The valuable metal recovery unit is
a plurality of adsorption rods arranged in an upward and downward direction at regular intervals inside the recovery tank and adsorbing valuable metals contained in the electrolyte when an electric current is applied;
A waste lithium-ion battery recycling device characterized in that it has a cylindrical shape with an open top and the side includes an ion exchange membrane disposed along the circumference of each adsorption rod.
According to clause 5,
The valuable metal recovery department
a connection pipe providing an inflow path for the electrolyte flowing from the discharge tank;
a filter unit installed on one inner side of the connection pipe and filtering solid substances contained in the electrolyte flowing into the recovery tank;
A waste lithium-ion battery recycling device installed on the other inner side of the connection pipe and further comprising a current sensor that measures the residual current of the electrolyte flowing into the recovery tank.
According to clause 5,
a circulation pipe connected between the recovery tank and the discharge tank and re-introducing the electrolyte solution flowing into the recovery tank into the discharge tank;
A waste lithium-ion battery recycling device, characterized in that it further comprises a temperature control unit including a heat exchange unit installed on one side of the circulation pipe.
According to clause 9,
The temperature control unit
A waste lithium-ion battery recycling device installed on the other side of the circulation pipe and further comprising an emergency temperature control unit that supplies liquid nitrogen into the inside of the circulation pipe.