EAGER: CET: Advancing Sustainable Cathode Recycling of Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries using Deep Eutectic Solvents

EAGER：CET：使用低共熔溶剂推进废旧锂离子电池的可持续阴极回收

• 批准号: 2343621
• 负责人: Jihye Kim
• 金额: $ 30万
• 依托单位: Colorado School of Mines
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-03-01 至 2026-02-28
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2343621&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EAGER; CET; Advancing; Sustainable; Cathode

This EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) award is made in response to Dear Colleague Letter 23-109, as part of the NSF-wide Clean Energy Technology initiative. Reliable and robust energy storage systems play a crucial role in the national transition towards a carbon-neutral economy. Lithium-ion batteries have brought a paradigm shift in the field of energy generation and storage, particularly in electric transportation. However, the annual generation of spent lithium-ion battery waste is projected to exceed 5 million tons by 2030, with only 5% being recycled worldwide. While existing recycling processes have been implemented industrially, they face significant challenges such as high energy consumption, low metal separation efficiency, limited recyclability, and substantial waste generation. To promote a circular economy and establish a waste-to-resource supply chain, it is imperative to develop efficient and sustainable metallurgical technologies for lithium-ion battery recycling. The objective of this EAGER research project is to advance the recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries through the development of next-generation recycling technologies based on benign leaching and electrodeposition using deep eutectic solvents. This project will develop a closed-loop process that minimizes waste while maximizing metal recovery. The project will enable sustainable recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries thereby saving energy, reducing pollutants, and accelerating electrification. Furthermore, the intrinsically interdisciplinary nature of the research will foster a diverse training environment, providing opportunities for training and mentorship for both graduate and undergraduate students. Knowledge gained through this study will be incorporated into existing courses, thus extending the experimental design approach to education activities, and benefiting more than 80 undergraduate and graduate students annually.This research project will elucidate the mechanisms and chemistry involved in the recovery of battery metals using deep eutectic solvents and provide an innovative approach to recycling and reusing end-of-life products. The integrated research approach entails experimental testing, operando diagnostics, and statistical analysis, to develop a sustainable battery recycling process comprising leaching and electrodeposition within deep eutectic solvents. The physicochemical mechanisms of the process along with their impact on process efficiency will be revealed through solubility measurements and coordination complex identification under various conditions, complemented by morphological characterization, quantitative elemental mapping, and microstructural analysis. These efforts will offer valuable insights into the solvating capabilities of various deep eutectic solvents, transport properties of battery metals in deep eutectic solvent electrolytes, and coordination behaviors of battery metals in diverse deep eutectic solvent environments. Enhanced selectivity and product purity will be realized by exploring different solution chemistries and fine-tuning process operating parameters. The project will also unveil reaction pathways, rate-determining steps, and apparent activation energies, and provide a robust framework for accurately predicting process responses based on operating parameters, thus facilitating effective metal recovery from waste lithium-ion batteries.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

这项早期概念探索性研究资助 (EAGER) 奖项是为了响应亲爱的同事信 23-109，作为 NSF 清洁能源技术计划的一部分。可靠而强大的储能系统在国家向碳中和经济转型中发挥着至关重要的作用。锂离子电池给能源生产和存储领域带来了范式转变，特别是在电力运输领域。然而，到2030年，每年产生的废旧锂离子电池废物预计将超过500万吨，而全球范围内只有5%得到回收。虽然现有的回收工艺已在工业上实施，但它们面临着能耗高、金属分离效率低、可回收性有限和产生大量废物等重大挑战。为了推动循环经济、建立废物资源化供应链，开发高效、可持续的锂离子电池回收冶金技术势在必行。该 EAGER 研究项目的目标是通过开发基于使用低共熔溶剂的良性浸出和电沉积的下一代回收技术，促进废旧锂离子电池的回收。该项目将开发一种闭环工艺，最大限度地减少浪费，同时最大限度地提高金属回收率。该项目将实现废旧锂离子电池的可持续回收，从而节省能源、减少污染物并加速电气化。此外，该研究本质上的跨学科性质将营造多样化的培训环境，为研究生和本科生提供培训和指导的机会。通过这项研究获得的知识将被纳入现有课程中，从而将实验设计方法扩展到教育活动中，每年使 80 多名本科生和研究生受益。该研究项目将阐明利用电池金属回收所涉及的机制和化学原理。低共熔溶剂，并提供回收和再利用报废产品的创新方法。综合研究方法需要实验测试、操作诊断和统计分析，以开发可持续的电池回收工艺，包括在低共熔溶剂中浸出和电沉积。该过程的物理化学机制及其对过程效率的影响将通过各种条件下的溶解度测量和配位配合物识别来揭示，并辅以形态表征、定量元素图谱和微观结构分析。这些工作将为各种深度共晶溶剂的溶解能力、电池金属在深度共晶溶剂电解质中的传输特性以及电池金属在不同深度共晶溶剂环境中的配位行为提供有价值的见解。通过探索不同的溶液化学成分和微调工艺操作参数，将实现更高的选择性和产品纯度。该项目还将揭示反应路径、速率决定步骤和表观活化能，并提供一个强大的框架，用于根据操作参数准确预测过程响应，从而促进从废旧锂离子电池中有效回收金属。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。