Characterization of Industrial Black Mass from End-of-Life LiFePO<sub>4</sub>-Graphite Batteries
The use of Li-ion batteries is drastically increasing, especially due to the growing sales of electric vehicles. Simultaneously, there is a shift towards exchanging the traditional Co- and Ni-rich electrode materials with more sustainable alternatives such as LiFePO<sub>4</sub>. This tra...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Batteries |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/11/6/210 |
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| author | Nanna Bjerre-Christensen Caroline Birksø Eriksen Kristian Oluf Sylvester-Hvid Dorthe Bomholdt Ravnsbæk |
| author_facet | Nanna Bjerre-Christensen Caroline Birksø Eriksen Kristian Oluf Sylvester-Hvid Dorthe Bomholdt Ravnsbæk |
| author_sort | Nanna Bjerre-Christensen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The use of Li-ion batteries is drastically increasing, especially due to the growing sales of electric vehicles. Simultaneously, there is a shift towards exchanging the traditional Co- and Ni-rich electrode materials with more sustainable alternatives such as LiFePO<sub>4</sub>. This transition challenges conventional recycling practices, which typically rely on shredding batteries into a substance known as black mass, which is subsequently processed via hydrometallurgical or pyrometallurgical methods to extract valuable elements. These routes may not be economically viable for future sustainable chemistries with lower contents of high-value metal. Hence, new methods for processing the black mass, allowing, e.g., for physical separation and direct recycling, are direly needed. Such developments require that the black mass is thoroughly understood. In this study, we thoroughly characterize a commercially produced Graphite/LFP black mass sample from real battery waste using a suite of analytical techniques. Our findings reveal detailed chemical, morphological, and structural insights and show that the components in the black mass have different micro-size profiles, which may enable simple size separation. Unfortunately, our analysis also reveals that the employed processing of battery waste into black mass leads to the formation of an unknown Fe-containing compound, which may hamper direct recycling routes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-474fb15b441f41bfa8d49e6d1bb7c380 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2313-0105 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Batteries |
| spelling | doaj-art-474fb15b441f41bfa8d49e6d1bb7c3802025-08-20T03:26:57ZengMDPI AGBatteries2313-01052025-05-0111621010.3390/batteries11060210Characterization of Industrial Black Mass from End-of-Life LiFePO<sub>4</sub>-Graphite BatteriesNanna Bjerre-Christensen0Caroline Birksø Eriksen1Kristian Oluf Sylvester-Hvid2Dorthe Bomholdt Ravnsbæk3Center for Sustainable Energy Materials, Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Langelandsgade 140, 8000 Aarhus, DenmarkCenter for Sustainable Energy Materials, Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Langelandsgade 140, 8000 Aarhus, DenmarkFunctional Materials, Danish Technological Institute, Gregersensvej 1, 2630 Taastrup, DenmarkCenter for Sustainable Energy Materials, Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Langelandsgade 140, 8000 Aarhus, DenmarkThe use of Li-ion batteries is drastically increasing, especially due to the growing sales of electric vehicles. Simultaneously, there is a shift towards exchanging the traditional Co- and Ni-rich electrode materials with more sustainable alternatives such as LiFePO<sub>4</sub>. This transition challenges conventional recycling practices, which typically rely on shredding batteries into a substance known as black mass, which is subsequently processed via hydrometallurgical or pyrometallurgical methods to extract valuable elements. These routes may not be economically viable for future sustainable chemistries with lower contents of high-value metal. Hence, new methods for processing the black mass, allowing, e.g., for physical separation and direct recycling, are direly needed. Such developments require that the black mass is thoroughly understood. In this study, we thoroughly characterize a commercially produced Graphite/LFP black mass sample from real battery waste using a suite of analytical techniques. Our findings reveal detailed chemical, morphological, and structural insights and show that the components in the black mass have different micro-size profiles, which may enable simple size separation. Unfortunately, our analysis also reveals that the employed processing of battery waste into black mass leads to the formation of an unknown Fe-containing compound, which may hamper direct recycling routes.https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/11/6/210recyclingLiFePO<sub>4</sub>black masschemical analysisstructural analysis |
| spellingShingle | Nanna Bjerre-Christensen Caroline Birksø Eriksen Kristian Oluf Sylvester-Hvid Dorthe Bomholdt Ravnsbæk Characterization of Industrial Black Mass from End-of-Life LiFePO<sub>4</sub>-Graphite Batteries Batteries recycling LiFePO<sub>4</sub> black mass chemical analysis structural analysis |
| title | Characterization of Industrial Black Mass from End-of-Life LiFePO<sub>4</sub>-Graphite Batteries |
| title_full | Characterization of Industrial Black Mass from End-of-Life LiFePO<sub>4</sub>-Graphite Batteries |
| title_fullStr | Characterization of Industrial Black Mass from End-of-Life LiFePO<sub>4</sub>-Graphite Batteries |
| title_full_unstemmed | Characterization of Industrial Black Mass from End-of-Life LiFePO<sub>4</sub>-Graphite Batteries |
| title_short | Characterization of Industrial Black Mass from End-of-Life LiFePO<sub>4</sub>-Graphite Batteries |
| title_sort | characterization of industrial black mass from end of life lifepo sub 4 sub graphite batteries |
| topic | recycling LiFePO<sub>4</sub> black mass chemical analysis structural analysis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/11/6/210 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nannabjerrechristensen characterizationofindustrialblackmassfromendoflifelifeposub4subgraphitebatteries AT carolinebirksøeriksen characterizationofindustrialblackmassfromendoflifelifeposub4subgraphitebatteries AT kristianolufsylvesterhvid characterizationofindustrialblackmassfromendoflifelifeposub4subgraphitebatteries AT dorthebomholdtravnsbæk characterizationofindustrialblackmassfromendoflifelifeposub4subgraphitebatteries |