The Characterization of Li-ion Batteries and the Importance of the Recycling Processes

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are commonly used in laptops, cell phones, and electric cars and present critical metals such as cobalt, lithium, and nickel in their composition. This article is intended to help researchers working on LIB characterization. It studies three cylindrical LIBs which were dismantled and characterized. The batteries were initially discharged by coupling Ni-Cr resistance wires and then manually dismantled using Buehler IsoMet 1000 cutter and pliers. Then, the batteries were dried at 60°C for 24 h for electrolyte evaporation; the mass loss was considered the electrolyte mass. Morphological analyses of the electrodes were performed using SEM-EDS. The external metal structures and separators were determined by XRD and FTIR, respectively. Digestion of the electrodes in aqua regia followed by EDXRF and AAS analyses was carried out for chemical quantification. The batteries were determined to be NCA, NMC 811, and LFP; the separators were determined to be polypropylene; the metallic shells were Fe-Cr stainless steel. A preliminary economic evaluation for each battery was performed to show the battery type with the greatest market trend, emphasizing the importance of LIB recycling processes. NMC 811 earned the highest price (US$/ton) for its combined metals and hence received the most market attention.