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Pyrolysis characteristics of cathode from spent lithium-ion batteries using advanced TG-FTIR-GC/MS analysis

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Abstract

Thermal treatment offers an alternative method for the separation of Al foil and cathode materials during spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) recycling. In this work, the pyrolysis behavior of cathode from spent LIBs was investigated using advanced thermogravimetric Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (TG-FTIR-GC/MS) method. The fate of fluorine present in spent batteries was probed as well. TG analysis showed that the cathode decomposition displayed a three-stage process. The temperatures of maximum mass loss rate were located at 470 °C and 599 °C, respectively. FTIR analysis revealed that the release of CO2 increased as the temperature rose from 195 to 928 °C. However, the evolution of H2O showed a decreasing trend when the temperature increased to above 599 °C. The release of fluoride derivatives also exhibited a decreasing trend, and they were not detected after temperatures increasing to above 470 °C. GC-MS analysis indicated that the release of H2O and CO displayed a similar trend, with larger releasing intensity at the first two stages. The evolution of 1,4-difluorobenzene and 1,3,5-trifluorobenzene also displayed a similar trend—larger releasing intensity at the first two stages. However, the release of CO2 showed a different trend, with the largest release intensity at the third stage, as did the release of 1,2,4-trifluorobenzene, with the release mainly focused at the temperature of 300–400 °C. The release intensities of 1,2,4-trifluorobenzene and 1,3,5-trifluorobenzene were comparable, although smaller than that of 1,4-difluorobenzene. This study will offer practical support for the large-scale recycling of spent LIBs.

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Funding

This work was financially supported by the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant no. LY19B070008).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Materials and Environmental Engineering, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou, 310018, China

    Shaoqi Yu, Jingjing Xiong, Zhitong Yao, Shaodan Xu & Junhong Tang

  2. Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China

    Daidai Wu

  3. Department of Electrical Engineering and Energy Technology, University of Vaasa, FIN-65101, Vaasa, Finland

    Xiaoshu Lü

  4. Department of Civil Engineering, Aalto University, FIN-02130, Espoo, Finland

    Xiaoshu Lü

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  1. Shaoqi Yu
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  2. Jingjing Xiong
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  3. Daidai Wu
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  4. Xiaoshu Lü
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  5. Zhitong Yao
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  6. Shaodan Xu
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  7. Junhong Tang
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Correspondence to Zhitong Yao or Junhong Tang.

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Yu, S., Xiong, J., Wu, D. et al. Pyrolysis characteristics of cathode from spent lithium-ion batteries using advanced TG-FTIR-GC/MS analysis. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 40205–40209 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10108-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10108-4

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