DESC:Technical Field
[0001] The embodiments herein generally relate toa recycling of batteries and more particularly, an apparatus and a method for recycling Lithium Cobalt Oxide batteries found in electronic devices in a dry form without water emissions.
Description of the Related Art
[0002] With the advent of the electronic era, the usage of electronic devices especially with portable energy sources has increased exponentially. Nowadays, most electronic devices are battery-powered, making them portable in nature. Since the appearance of batteries on market, their consumption has continued to increase rapidly. However, the extreme usage of portable electronic devices has caused an equally fast consumption of batteries with absolutely negligible amounts of consumed batteries being recycled.
[0003] One of the major concerns surrounding the consumption of batteries is the recycling of batteries after consumption, especially management of costs and efforts prove to be more tedious. Depending on the battery type, old and used batteries contain certain proportions of environmentally hazardous substances. From the environment and market economy point of view, it is not justifiable that toxins contained in old batteries are released into household waste dumps without recycling them, as a leak from these old batteries into the environment may cause significant damage.
[0004] A typical waste disposal facility may not be equipped to properly dispose of used batteries. Some battery technologies require expensive manufacturing and a limited supply of materials. Therefore, battery recycling becomes even more imperative to provide both environmental and economic advantages. Most of the time, materials from old and used batteries are extractable, however, this extraction comes at a considerable economicadvantage. The recycling process becomes even more difficult as there are a large number of discarded batteries with different shapes, physical configurations, and battery technology using various chemical reagents and packaging materials. Battery recycling may be a difficult task as some batteries are inflammable and might prove to be a potential hazard.
[0005] Most the Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LCO) batteries are recycled using processes such as Pyrometallurgy or Hydrometallurgy. The cobalt is typically extracted as cobalt sulfate. In both cases, capital costs and operations costs are exponentially high. These processes also create a huge carbon footprint. The existing technologies recycle the batteries but are unable to extract the materials in completely dryand pure form.
[0006] Therefore, there arises a need to address the aforementioned technical drawbacks in a better way for recycling LCO batteries in dry form.
SUMMARY
[0007] In view of foregoing, an embodiment herein provides apparatus for recycling lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) batteries in dry form. The apparatus includes (i) a sorting unit that receives and sorts one or more batteries, (ii) a grinding unit that grinds the one or more batteries, (iii) a sifter unit that sifts the grinded one or more batteries, (iv) a magnetic separator that remove waste materials from sifted materials of the sifted unit to refine the sifted materials, (v) an air classifier including a disposal unit, an air column, and a material separation chamber for segregating the refined sifted materials, and a control unit. The control unit is configured to sort the one or more batteries to separate the lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) batteries using the sorting unit. The control unit is configured togrind the sorted LCO batteries to obtain a ground material with grind unit parameters using the grinding unit. The control unit is configured tosift the ground material into a coarse fraction package and a fine fraction package by a sieve analysis method using the sifter unit. The coarse fraction package includes a first coarse fraction and a second coarse fraction. The fine fraction package includes a first fine fraction and a second fine fraction. The control unit is configured toextract the waste materials from the second coarse fraction, the first fine fraction, and the second fine fraction using a magnetic field to refine the ground material from impuritiesusing the magnetic separator. The control unit is configured tosegregate the refined ground material into at least one of copper, aluminum, plastic, cobalt or graphite in a dry form based on a combination of size, shape, and density of a particle of the refined ground material using the air classifier to obtain segregated ground material. The control unit is configured toenable a recycling process for the LCO batteries using the fine fraction package from the sifter unit and the segregated ground material from the air classifier.
[0008] In some embodiments, the first coarse fraction includes waste material with a particle size in a range of 3500 microns to 8000 microns and the second coarse fraction includes at least one of the copper, aluminum, plastic, cobalt, or waste material with a particle size in a range of 380 microns to 5000 microns.
[0009] In some embodiments, the first fine fraction includes graphite with a particle size in a range of 180 microns to 850 microns and the second fine fraction includes cobalt and some amount of the graphite with a particle size in a range of 45 microns to 150 microns.
[0010] In some embodiments, the grind unit parameter includes revolutions per minute (RPM). The sorted LCO batteries are grinded using the grinding unit to obtain the ground material with varied grind unit parameters based on a type of LCO batteries. The control unit varies the RPM of the grinding unit through a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) based on the type of the LCO batteries. The RPM varies in a range of 500 RPM to 3600 RPM.
[0011] In some embodiments, the grind unit parameter includes a bottom screen. the bottom screen includes a mesh size in a range of 40 mm down to 10 mm.
[0012] In some embodiments, the sorting unit sorts the one or more batteries into LCO batteries and non-LCO batteries based on the type of batteries.
[0013] In some embodiments, the sifter unit includes a gyratory or vibratory shaker that sifts the ground material into the coarse fraction and the fine fraction by gyratory or vibratory motions using one or more sieves, wherein the gyratory or vibratory shaker provides a rotary motion in the ground material with high speed which causes dispersion stirring to the ground material that dispose of the fine fraction from the ground material through the one or more sieves and stacks the coarse fraction from the ground material on the top of the one or more sieves.
[0014] In some embodiments, the disposal unit disposes the waste material from the second coarse fraction based on the particle size.
[0015] In some embodiments, the air column segregates the second coarse fraction into at least one of copper, aluminum, cobalt, or plastics using a material separation chamber.
[0016] In another aspect, an embodiment herein provides a method for recycling lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) batteries in dry form. The method includes receiving and sorting one or more batteries to separate the lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) batteries using a sorting unit.The method includes grinding the sorted LCO batteries to obtain a ground material with grind unit parameters using a grinding unit. The method includes sifting the ground material into a coarse fraction package and a fine fraction package by a sieve analysis method using a sifter unit. The coarse fraction package includes a first coarse fraction and a second coarse fraction, and the fine fraction package includes a first fine fraction and a second fine fraction. The method includes extracting waste materials from the second coarse fraction, the first fine fraction, and the second fine fraction using a magnetic field to refine the ground material from impurities by a magnetic separator. The method includes segregating the refined ground material into at least one of copper, aluminum, plastic, cobalt, or graphitein a dry form based on a combination of size, shape, and density of a particle of the refined ground material using an air classifier to obtain segregated ground material.The method includes enabling a recycling process for the LCO batteries using the fine fraction from the sifter unit and the segregated ground material from the air classifier.
[0017] The apparatus and method segregatethe ground material from the LCO batteries and provide a higher realization per kilo of battery. The sorting of the one or more batteries provides high efficiency in the recycling process with higher percentages of isolated segregated materials. The output from the apparatus and the method can be provided to smelters to enter a supply chain for the recycling process and may be reused for any other purposes, as the ground material including cobalt are extracted in the purest form. The apparatus separates the individual metals from the ground material, which enables use of the metals for the recycling process of the LCO batteries. The apparatus and method reduce the loss of cobalt, copper, or aluminum by utilizing coarse screens and excessive grinding at low RPM.And, the apparatus utilizes an appropriate grinder unit for fraction to avoid excessive metal grinding and loss. The segregated materials extracted from the one or more batteries can be reused for other purposes, as the material such as cobalt are extracted in the purest form. The apparatus retrieves the segregated materials in the purest form in a cost-effective manner.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following detailed description with reference to the drawings, in which:
[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an apparatus for recycling Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LCO) batteries according to some embodiments herein;
[0020] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a grinding unit of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments herein;
[0021] FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a sifter unit of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments herein;
[0022] FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of segregating ground material from coarse fraction and fine fraction according to some embodiments herein; and
[0023] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of method of recycling LCO batteries accordingto some embodiments herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
[0025] As mentioned, there remains a need for an apparatus and a method for recycling Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LCO) batteries in dry form, that can overcome the existing drawbacks. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 5, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, preferred embodiments are shown.
[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagramof an apparatus 100 for recycling Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LCO)batteries in dry form according to some embodiments herein. The apparatus includes a sorting unit 102, a grinding unit 104, a sifter unit 106, a magnetic separator 108, anair classifier 110, and a control unit 116.The sorting unit 102 receives and sorts one or more batteries. In some embodiments, the one or more batteries include chargeable batteries and non-chargeable batteries including any of Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LCO) batteries, Nickel-Cadmium batteries, Lithium-Ion Manganese Oxide batteries, small seal lead batteries, Lithium-Ion Phosphate (LFP) batteries, Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) batteriesin different shapes such as cylindrical cells, button cells, prismatic cells (flat rectangular batteries), pouch cells and on the like. The sorting unit 102 sorts the one or more batteries torecycle different types of batteries separately. The one or more batteriesmay be provided on a conveyer belt of the apparatus that sorts the one or more batteries into LCO batteries and non-LCO batteries. The sorting unit 102 sorts the LCO batteries based on type of electronic devices. The electronic devices, being at least one of, but not limited to the batteries from a smartphone, power banks, lithium polymer batteries from phones. The sorting of the one or more batteries provides efficiency in the recycling process along with higher percentages of isolated segregated materials.The sorting unit 102 is configured to receive the one or more batteries after removing handsets that are attached with the one or more batteries, soft pouch alkaline batteries, and lithium polymer batteries. The sorting unit 102 may sort Power tool batteries separately as the power tool batteries include one or more chemical compositions and processing requirements than the one or more batteries. In some embodiments, the power tool batteries include heavy metals and other materials that require special handling to avoid environmental damage, which enables the sorting unit 102 to sort the power tool batteries separately through require a specific downstream process.In some embodiments, the sorting unit 102 is configured to receive laptop batteries after removing a plastic casing and a PCB board.
[0027] Thegrinding unit 104 grinds thesorted one or more batteries i.e. the LCO batteries. TheLCO batteries are grind based on their battery type. The batteries of the smartphones may be grindedat a low-level grinding parameter as the batteries of the power banks or laptops may be grinded at a high-level grinding parameter. Thegrinding unit 104 grinds the sorted LCObatteries to a powder form to obtain a ground material.In some embodiments, the grinding unit 104 grinds thesorted batteries in an equalized particle size distribution(PSD) form. The grinding unit 104 may produce the equalized particle size distribution (PSD) form of sorted batteries, by monitoring and controlling the revolutions per minute (RPM) through a variable frequency drive (VFD) of the grinding unit 104, which may be beneficial in processing various battery fractions of the one or more batteries.The RPM may be varied depending upon the type of the LCO batteries. For example, the RPM may be increased i.e., the high-level grinding parameter, for batteries of electronic devices with hard plastic covering such as power banks, and the RPM may be decreased i.e., the low-level grinding parameter,for batteries of smartphones. The grinding unit 104 may be any of a hammer mill, a ball mill, a pin mill or a host of grinding machines. The oxygen percentage inside the grinding unit 104 is measured and maintained using a programmable logic controller (PLC) to avoid combustion from the sorted LCO batteries during the grinding process. The grinding unit 104 may be equipped with a relief valve in case of an emergency shutdown of the grinding unit 104. The grinding unit 104 may include a Lower Explosive Limit (LEL) sensor to detect a level of any combustible gases during a grinding process in the grinding unit 104. In some embodiments, the LEL sensor triggers an inert blanketto control the level of any combustible gases during the grinding process in the grinding unit 104.
[0028] The sifter unit 106 receives the ground material from the grinding unit 104, and sifts the ground material into fractions by a sieve analysis method. The sifter unit 106 may include a gyratory shaker or vibrator to sift the ground material. The gyratory shaker or vibratorprovides a rotary motion and causes dispersion stirring to theground materials.In some embodiments, the dispersion stirring impacts a rheological characteristic of the ground material being sifted in the sifter unit 106. The magnetic separator 108 is configured to remove waste materials from the sifted materials of the sifter unit 106 to refine the sifted materials. In some embodiments, the magnetic separator 108 removes magnetic substances and non-magnetic substances from the ground material using a magnet. The magnetic separator 108 may be a three-stage magnetic separator including a first-stage magnetic separator, a second-stage magnetic separator, and a third-stage magnetic separator. The air classifier 110 includes a disposal unit, an air column, or a material separation chamber for segregating the refined sifted materials.
[0029] The control unit 116 is configured to sort the one or more batteries to separate the LCO batteries using the sorting unit 102. The control unit 116 may enable the sorting unit 102 to sort the LCO batteries by any of visual inspection or manual method. In some embodiments, the sorting unit 102 includes one or more cameras for visual inspection. The one or more cameras capture one or more images of the one or more batteries, and determines the LCO batteries using an image processing method. In some embodiments, the manual method enables users to inspect the one or more batteries to sort the LCO batteries.The control unit 110 is configured to grind the sorted LCO batteries to obtain a ground material with grind unit parameters using thegrinding unit 104. The control unit 116 is configured to sift the ground material into a coarse fraction package 112 and a fine fraction package 114 by a sieve analysis method using the sifter unit 106. The coarse fraction package112 and the fine fraction package 114 are a granular form of the ground material. In some embodiments, the coarse fraction package 112 includes a first coarse fraction and a second coarse fraction. The coarse fraction package 112 may have a weight percentage in a range of 30% to 38% and a particle size is in a range of 380 microns to 8000 microns. In some embodiments, the first coarse fractionincludes the waste material with a particle size in a range of 3500 microns to 8000 microns, and the second coarse fraction includes at least one of the coppers, aluminum, plastic,cobaltor waste material with a particle size in a range of 380 microns to 5000 microns.
[0030] The fine fraction package 114 is a granular form of the ground material that is segregated into graphite and cobalt, and a particle size is in a range of 45 microns to 850 microns. The fine fraction package 114includes a first fine fraction and a second fine fraction.In some embodiments, the first fine fraction includes graphite with a particle size in a range of 180 microns to 850 microns and the second fine fraction includes cobalt and some amount of the graphite with a particle size in a range of 45 microns to 150 microns. The control unit 116is configured to extract waste materials from the second coarse fraction, the first fine fraction, and the second fine fraction using a magnetic field to refine the ground material from impurities using the magnetic separator 108. The impurities may include magnetic iron and Low Carbon Oxide. The magnetic separator 108 is configured to (i) remove magnetic iron from the second coarse fraction, the first fine fraction, and the second fine fractionusing thefirst-stage magnetic separator and the second-stagemagnetic separator, and (ii) removewaste material from the second coarse fraction, the first fine fraction and the second fine fractionto refine the ground material using the third-stage magnetic separator. The control unit 116is configured to segregate the refined ground material into at least one of copper, aluminum, plastic, cobalt, or graphitein a dry form based on a combination of size, shape, and density of a particle of the refined ground material to obtain segregated ground material using the air classifier 110. In some embodiments, the air classifier 110 removesplastic and waste materialsfrom the refined ground material using an eddy current separator.In some embodiments, the eddy current separator is a device that creates an electric current i.e. the eddy current, in a non-ferrous fraction ofthe refined ground material using a magnetic field, which repels the plastic and waste materials away from the non-ferrous fraction and allows for non-ferrous fraction separation. The control unit 116 is configured to enable the recycling process for the LCO batteries using thefine fraction package 114 from the sifter unit 106 and the segregatedground materialfrom the air classifier 110.
[0031] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of thegrinding unit 104 of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments herein. The grinding unit 104 includes a screen selection unit 202, a PLC control module 204, and a parameter control unit 206. The screen selection unit 202 enables the users to select a bottom screen of thegrinding unit 104 depending on the type of LCO batteries received from the sorting unit 102. The screen selection unit 202 may select the bottom screen based on the sieve analysis of the ground material. The screen selection unit 202 may select the bottom screen from 40mm down to 10mm, depending on the type of LCO batteries that varied from 500 to 3600 revolutions per minute to maximize throughput through the grinding unit 104 and maximize sifter efficiencies.
[0032] The PLC control module 204 is configured to measure an oxygen percentage inside the grinding unit 104to avoid fire hazards. The PLC control module 204 mayuse one or more sensors to measure and maintain the oxygen percentage below 14-15% using nitrogen. In some embodiments, nitrogen is tossed into thegrinding unit 104 using an inlet feed valve to maintain the oxygen percentage. In some embodiments, the PLC control module 204 and the inlet feed valve can be turned offafterthe recycling process.In some embodiments, the inlet feed valve is attached to thegrinding unit 104.The grinding unit 104 may include a relief valve in case of an emergency shut down, for safety purposes. The grinding unit 104 discharges the ground material on a continuous basis and pneumatically conveyed to the sifter unit 106.
[0033] The parameter control unit 206 controls the revolution per minute (RPM) of the grinding unit 104 through a variable frequency drive (VFD) along with interchangeable screens from the screen selection unit 202. The screen selection unit 202 configures the size of the bottom screen and the parameter control unit 206 varies the RPM to receive the equalized particle size distribution of the materials in a powder base. In some embodiments, the parameter control unit 206 varies the RPM in a range of 500 to 3600 revolutions per minute, that enables the grinding unit 104 to provide a maximized output with an increased efficiency with the varied RPM. In some embodiments, the parameter control unit 206 selects grinding parametersincluding RPM and VFDto prevent over-grinding of the LCO batteries. In some embodiments, the grinding unit 104 may be in a batch mode or a continuous mode to obtain fine-tunedParticle Size Distribution (PSD) of the ground materials for maximizing among the different battery types sifting efficiencies and the throughput.
[0034] FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of the sifter unit 106 of FIG.1 according to some embodiments herein.The sifter unit 106 is configured to sift the ground material from the grinding unit 104 into the coarse fractionpackage 112including coarse grains of the ground material, and the fine fraction package114 including finely ground grains of the one or more batteries. In some embodiments, the sifter unit 106 includes one or more sieves stacked on top of each other to sift the ground material. The one or more sievesmay include various mesh sizes to ensure the accurate particle size distribution. The ground material from the grinding unit 104 may be placed on the topmost sieve. Based on a sifter parametersuch as mesh size, time period of sifting, and the like, the sifter unit 106 sifts the materials into different fractions, such that the fine fraction package114 penetrateson the stack of the one or more sieves and reaches to the bottom of the stackto minimize the Graphite carried over a cobalt where the coarse fraction package 112 remains on the top of the stack of the one or more sieves.The sifter parameters may be chosen manually by a user based on the type of LCO batteries for sifting the ground material.
[0035] The coarse fraction package 112 includes a first coarse fraction 302 and a second coarse fraction 304. The first coarse fraction 302 may include a waste stream consisting of at least one of labels from battery cases or light plasticsfound in the batteries and metals wrapped with the light plastics. In some embodiments, a weight percent of the first coarse fraction 302 varies from 10% to 22% by the weight of theone or more batteries being processed and the type ofone or more batteries. The particle size in the first coarse fraction 302 may vary from 3500 microns to 8000 microns based on the screen selection and the type of the one or more batteries. In some embodiments, the screen selection is in a range of 15/32” plate to US 8 Mesh.The second coarse fraction 304 is a middle fraction process that includesintermediate-size particles. In some embodiments, the second coarse fraction 304includesat least one of liberatedcopper, cobalt, aluminum with a plastic casing,or a waste stream. In some embodiments, weight percentage of the second coarse fraction 304 is in a range of 30% to 38%, and the particle size of the second coarse fraction 304is in a range of 380 microns to 5000 microns. The weight percentage and the particle size of the second coarse fraction 304 may depend upon the type of the one or more batteries and thegrindingunit 104 parameters including RPM and VFD.
[0036] The fine fraction package 114 includes a first fine fraction 306 and a second fine fraction 308. In some embodiments, the first fine fraction 306includes Graphite. The particle size of the first fine fraction 306may vary from 180 microns to 850 microns. In some embodiments, the weight percentage of the first fine fraction 306 varies depending on degree of separation of Cobalt from Graphite.In some embodiments, the second fine fraction 308includes Cobalt and some carried-over Graphite. The particle size of the second fine fraction 308 may vary from 45 microns to 150 microns.
[0037] In some embodiments, the coarse fraction package112 and fine fractionpackage 114 are analyzed using a Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) after sifting the ground material. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is configured to identify whether the particle size of the coarse fraction package 112 and fine fractionpackage114 is above a predetermined particle size or not or whether the particle size of the coarse fractionpackage 112 and the fine fractionpackage 114is a discrete metal or aggregated at different particle sizes. Thepredetermined particle size may be between 2500 and 850 microns. In some embodiments, when the coarse fraction package 112 or the fine fractionpackage 114 isnot within the predetermined particle size, the ground material can be cut to the predetermined particle size, or when the coarse fraction package 112 or the fine fraction package 114 is at the predetermined particle size,the coarse fraction package 112 or the fine fraction package 114 is moved to a second grinding unit which includes a bottom screen of mesh size ranging from 20mm to 5mm. The second grinding unit may grind the coarse fraction package 112 or the fine fraction package 114 until the coarse fraction package 112 or the fine fraction package 114 reaches the predetermined particle size when the particle size of the coarse fractionpackage 112 or the fine fractionpackage 114 is above the predetermined particle size. The sifter unit 106 including the gyratory shaker may combine the coarse fraction package 112 or the fine fraction package 114 with a secondary coarse fraction and a secondary fine fractionfrom the second grinding unit at the predetermined particle size.
[0038] In some embodiments, the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) is an instrument to determine the particle size of the ground material. The SEM may define at which size are the particles discrete in the sifter unit 106.
[0039] FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram for segregatingthe ground material from the coarse fraction package112 and the fine fraction package 114 according to some embodiments herein. The block diagram includes thecoarse fraction package 112, the fine fraction package 114, the magnetic separator 108,and the air classifier 110.The magnetic separator 108 includes a first stage magnetic separator 402, a second stage magnetic separator 404, and a third stage magnetic separator 406. The air classifier 110 includes a disposal unit 408, an air column 410, and a material separation chamber 412. The coarse fraction package 112 includes the first coarse fraction 302 and the second coarse fraction 304, and the fine fraction package 114 includes the first fine fraction 306, and the second fine fraction 308. The second coarse fraction 304, the first fine fraction 306, and the second fine fraction 308 are transmitted to the magnetic separator 108 to remove magnetic Iron and ferromagnetic ofLow Carbon Oxide (LCO) particles to refine the ground material to obtain Low Carbon Oxide (LCO) particles, as the magnetic separator includes a high magnetic field of 7500 gauss. In some embodiments, the magnetic separator 108 is configured to (i) remove magnetic iron from the second coarse fraction 304, the first fine fraction 306, and the second fine fraction 308 using the first-stage magnetic separator 402 and the second-stage magnetic separator 404, and (ii) remove waste material from the second coarse fraction 304, the first fine fraction 306 and the second fine fraction 308 to refine the ground material using the third-stage magnetic separator 406.
[0040] The refined ground materialis transmitted to the air classifier 108 obtain purest form of the cobalt and the Graphite.The air classifier 108 works on a principle of separation of materials based on a combination of size, shape, and density. In some embodiments, the refined ground material is processed in the air classifier 110, that separates copper, aluminum, plastics, and a waste material using an eddy current.The air classifier 110 may separate plastics from the non-ferrous fractionusing the eddy current separator. The disposal unit 408 disposesthe waste material from the refined ground material. The remaining ground material are transmitted to the air column 410. The air column 410 includes a column of rising air. The material separation chamber 412 drags the refined ground material upwardsfrom the rising air with an upward force that counteracts the force of gravity and lifts therefined ground materialinto the air to be sorted in the air. In some embodiments, the fraction for the plastic include a specific gravity(SG) of around 1, aluminum has a SG of around 2.6 and Copper is the heaviest with a SG of 8.95.
[0041] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of method of recycling LCO batteries in dry form according to some embodiments herein. At a step 502, one or more batteries are received and sorted to separate LCO batteries using the sorting unit 102. At a step 504, the sorted LCO batteries are grinded to obtain the ground material with grind unit parameters using the grinding unit 104. At a step 506, the ground material is sifted into the coarse fraction package 112 and the fine fractionpackage 114 by a sieve analysis methodusing the sifter unit 106. The coarse fraction package includes the first coarse fraction 302 and a second coarse fraction 304, and the fine fraction package includes the first fine fraction 306 and the second fine fraction 308.At a step 508, waste materialsare extracted from the second coarse fraction 304, the first coarse fraction 306, and the second fine fraction 308 using the magnetic field to obtain the refined ground material from impurities using the magnetic separator 108. At a step 510, therefined ground materialis segregated into at least one of copper, aluminum, plastic, cobaltor graphitein a dry form based on shape, size, and density of a particle of the refined ground material using the air classifier110. At a step 512, the recycling process is enabled for the LCO batteries using the fine fraction package 114 from the sifter unit 106 and the segregated ground material from the air classifier110.
[0042] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope.
,CLAIMS:I/We claim:
1. An apparatus (100) for recycling Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LCO) batteries in a dry form, wherein the apparatus (100) comprises:
a sorting unit (102) that receives and sorts one or more batteries;
a grinding unit (104) that grinds the one or more batteries;
a sifting unit (106) that sifts the grinded one or more batteries;
a magnetic separator (108) that remove waste materials from sifted materialsof the sifted unit (106) to refine the sifted materials;
an air classifier (110)comprising a disposal unit (408), an air column (410), and a material separation chamber (412) for segregating the refined sifted materials; and
a control unit (116) that is configured to:
sort, using the sorting unit (102), the one or more batteries to separate the lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) batteries;
grind, using the grinding unit (104), the sorted LCO batteries to obtain a ground material with grind unit parameters;
sift, using the sifter unit (106), the ground material into a coarse fraction package (112) and a fine fraction package (114) by a sieve analysis method, wherein the coarse fraction package (112) comprises a first coarse fraction (302) and a second coarse fraction (304), wherein the fine fraction package (114) comprises a first fine fraction (306) and a second fine fraction (308);
extract, using the magnetic separator (108), the waste materials from the second coarse fraction (304), the first fine fraction (306), and the second fine fraction (308) using a magnetic field to refine the ground material from impurities;
segregate, usingthe air classifier (110), the refined ground materialinto at least one of copper, aluminum, plastic, cobalt, or graphitein a dry form based on a combination of size, shape, and density of a particle of the refined ground material to obtain segregated ground material; and
enable a recycling process for the LCO batteries using thefine fraction package (114) from the sifter unit (106) and the segregated ground material from the air classifier (110).

2. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first coarse fraction (306) comprises waste material with a particle size in a range of 3500 microns to 8000 microns and the second coarse fraction (304) comprises at least one of the copper, cobalt, aluminum, plastic, or waste material with a particle size in a range of 380 microns to 5000 microns.

3. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first fine fraction (306) comprises graphite with a particle size in a range of 180 microns to 850 microns and the second fine fraction (308) comprises cobalt and some amount of the graphite with a particle size in a range of 45 microns to 150 microns.

4. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the grind unit parameters comprise revolutions per minute (RPM), wherein the sorted LCO batteries are grinded using the grinding unit (104) to obtain the ground material with varied grind unit parameters based on a type of LCO batteries, wherein the control unit (116) varies the RPM of the grinding unit through a variable frequency drive (VFD) based on the type of the LCO batteries, wherein the RPM varies in a range of 500 RPM to 3600 RPM.

5. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the grind unit parameters comprise a bottom screen, wherein the bottom screen comprises a mesh size in a range of 40 mm down to 10 mm.

6. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sorting unit (102) sorts the one or more batteries into LCO batteries and non-LCO batteries based on the type of batteries.

7. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sifter unit(106) comprises a gyratory or vibratory shaker that sifts the ground material into the coarse fraction package(112) and the fine fraction package (114) by gyratory or vibratory motions using one or more sieves, wherein the gyratory or vibratory shaker providesa rotary motion in the ground material with high speed which causes dispersion stirringto the ground material that dispose of the fine fractionpackage (114) from the ground materialthrough theone or more sieves and stack the coarse fraction package (112) from the ground material on the top of the one or more sieves.

8. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the disposal unit (408) disposes the waste material from the second coarse fraction (304) based on the particle size.

9. The apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the air column (410) segregates the second coarse fraction (304) into at least one of copper, aluminum, cobalt or plastics using the material separation chamber (412).

10. A method for recycling Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LCO) batteries in a dry form, wherein the method comprises:
receiving and sorting, using a sorting unit (102), one or more batteries to separate the lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) batteries;
grinding, using a grinding unit (104), the sorted LCO batteries to obtain a ground material with grind unit parameters;
sifting, using the sifter unit (106), the ground material into a coarse fraction package (112) and a fine fraction package (114) by a sieve analysis method, wherein the coarse fraction package (112) comprises a first coarse fraction (302) and a second coarse fraction (304), wherein the fine fraction package (114) comprises a first fine fraction (306) and a second fine fraction (308);
extracting, using the magnetic separator (108), waste materials from the second coarse fraction (304), the first fine fraction (306), and the second fine fraction (308) using a magnetic field to refine the ground material from impurities;
segregating, using the air classifier (110), the refined ground material into at least one of copper, aluminum, plastic, cobalt, or graphite in a dry form based on a combination of size, shape, and density of a particle of the refined ground material to obtain segregated ground material; and
enabling a recycling process for the LCO batteries using the fine fraction package (114) from the sifter unit (106) and the segregated ground material from the air classifier (110).

Dated this 21stFeb, 2023

Signature of the Patent Agent:
Arjun Karthik Bala
IN/PA - 1021