CMI researchers at Idaho National Laboratory conducted the research for this highlight
Achievement
Scale-up of the EC-leach for lithium-ion batteries black mass, with a capacity up to 500 g/day has been completed and successfully demonstrated, achieving over 96% leaching efficiency for all metals.
Significance and impact
- 10X scale up performed with no effect in leaching efficiency.
- Scale up using reactors in series allows increase in voltage while maintaining low currents, more suitable for a power grid that delivers energy at high voltage.
- Demonstrated a reference electrode is not necessary and that conventional power supplies (i.e., rectifiers) can be used.
Details and next steps
- Leachate concentrate with over 70 g/L metal concentration with a process volume of 2 L.
- System integrates a pH pump to control final pH of the leachate
- Increased volume was required for INL’s mixer settler beds to examine SX separation
