A research team at TU Bergakademie Freiberg is using a new shredder system to investigate how battery cells can be recycled more efficiently. The goal is to fully recover valuable raw materials such as nickel, cobalt and lithium.
Evaluation through AI
One unique feature of the system is the collection and recovery of volatile materials, which have been lost during recycling thus far. The completely closed design not only allows the volatile electrolytes to be recycled, but also increases process safety. Researchers use sensors and cameras to monitor the shredding process and store the data in a research database. In the future, this database will be evaluated using artificial intelligence to increase the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the recycling process.
Minimizing black mass contamination
The new system shreds battery cells weighing up to 2,500 grams into particles between zero and 20 millimeters in size, known as “black mass”. The researchersʼ goal is to minimize contamination of the black mass with aluminum, copper, or plastics and to maximize the end productʼs quality. Additional processes, such as sifting and magnetic separation, which are also being tested on a pilot scale at TU Freiberg, are used to further process the black mass.
