PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The increase in the use of devices needing portable energy has subsequently led to the increase in the consumption of batteries. Some 211.000 tonnes of portable batteries were imported in the European Economic Area(EEA) market in 2013. Such heavy usage raises concerns about the management of the hazardous waste stream of end-of life batteries. These concerns are addressed by the Battery Directive, which regulates the disposal and recycling of batteries, and sets collection rates and recycling efficiency targets; in particular, 25% and 45% mandatory collection rates to be achieved by 2012 and 2016, respectively. While the 25% collection rate was achieved in 2012, with a few exceptions, many Member States fell short of achieving the 45% objective in 2016. The problem becomes more critical when considering lithium-manganese (Li-MnO2) batteries. Few industrial or recycling plants in Europe, actually none in Italy, currently process end-of-life primary -namely not rechargeable lithium batteries- rendering the development of an innovative recycling processes essential.
OBJECTIVES
The LIFE-LIBAT project aimed to develop and demonstrate the feasibility of an innovative technological solution for the recycling of primary lithium batteries, particularly lithium-manganese batteries. Its proposed process would integrate mechanical pre-treatment with a hydrometallurgical treatment. The project would design and construct a prototype plant in northern Italy, with a processing capacity of 50 Kg primary lithium batteries per day, with the aim of achieving targets set in the Battery Directive. It also aimed to significantly reduce processing costs, by avoiding the transport and treatment of spent batteries at specialised industrial plants outside Italy.
By demonstrating the possibility of increasing the recycling efficiency of primary lithium batteries, the project would contribute to reducing the waste fraction destined for landfill or incineration, in line with the Waste Framework Directive and the Landfill Directive. It also would contribute to the Circular Economy Action Plan since the recovered elements can be transformed into secondary raw materials.
RESULTS
LIFE LiBAT demonstrated the feasibility of an
innovative process for the recycling of primary lithium batteries, to extract
lithium and manganese for reuse.
The project team developed a prototype which
integrates a cryo-mechanical section with a hydrometallurgical system. The
processing capacity of the prototype exceeded the objective (50 kg/day) by
reaching in the global process 100 kg/day. The cryo-mechanical section alone
can process up to 400 kg a day of recovered materials, corresponding to 100
tons/year. The project team processed 8 900 kg of batteries in the
cryo-mechanical section, and 1 045 kg of electrodic powder was processed in the
hydrometallurgical system.
Total recovery yield of the prototype, considering
steel, manganese, lithium, plastic and paper, was about 70% by weight.
Considering only the recycling rate of lithium, the project team achieved the
ambitious target of 67% in mass, and most importantly managed to extract the
lithium at a 99.8% purity level which is suitable for the market.
The project team demonstrated the environmental
advantages of the LiBAT process, compared with a conventional
pyro-metallurgical process, attaining a reduction of 82% in the energy
consumption and a reduction of 91% for greenhouse gases (CO2 eq
emissions).
In terms of economic feasibility, the project team
showed that the LiBAT process was profitable, but only at a scale larger than
500 ton/year and by intercepting a large market share of the primary lithium
batteries in Europe. However, the cryo-mechanical section alone is profitable
even at the prototypal scale, since the process is less expensive compared with
the transport and treatment of batteries in specialised industrial plants
outside Italy.
The potential transfer of this technology to treat
Li-ion batteries is a promising perspective where hydrometallurgical treatment
plays a relevant role, to be further explored in the project LIFE19
ENV/IT/000520 - LIFE DRONE.
The project contributes to the implementation of the
EU Battery Directive, Waste Framework Directive, Waste Landfill Directive, and
Energy Efficiency Directive.
During the policy analysis work, several legislative
gaps were identified and addressed in the Batteries Directive. The project team
provided useful inputs regarding the implementation of the Battery Regulation,
the labelling and sorting of batteries, and the absence of restrictions on
special batteries such as the Li-ion and on their recycling rates.
