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

Environmental Science and Pollution Research volume 27, pages 40205–40209 (2020)Cite this article

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

Authors
  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

Keywords

  • Electronic waste
  • Lithium-ion batteries
  • Cathode
  • Pyrolysis
  • Polyvinylidene fluoride binder