Flame-assisted spray pyrolysis of lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide leaching stream

In this research, a combination of hydrometallurgy and flame-assisted spray pyrolysis (FASP) to recycle and reproduce LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 (NCA) waste is proposed. The NCA waste is obtained from a Li-ion battery facility. Valuable metals are extracted in 2 M nitric acid solution and 1.5 M of ecofriendly acetic acid, citric acid and maleic acid solutions and used as spray solution to produce NCA cathode material. The produced NCA powders were characterized by XRD, FTIR and SEM. XRD study shows the obtained NCA powders have layered structure with good ordering hexagonal layer. SEM images show the powders have agglomerated micro-sized particles. FTIR spectra analysis shows that NCA powders contain residual Li2CO3. The charge-discharge analysis demonstrates that produced NCA has a specific initial discharge capacity of 133 mAh/g and capacity retention of 87% after 200 cycles when cycled at the voltage range of 2.8 – 4.3 V and current density of 0.5C. The overall process is considered economical, practical and suitable for mass production.