Ammonia leaching mechanism and kinetics of LiCoO2 material from spent lithium-ion batteries

In this paper, the ammonia leaching process and high-energy ball milling method were adapted to recover spent LiCoO2 material. The ammonia reduction leaching mechanism of LiCoO2 material in the ammonia-sodium sulfite-ammonium chloride system was elucidated. Compared with untreated LiCoO2 material, the leaching equilibrium time of LiCoO2 after ball-milled for 5 h was reduced from 48 h to 4 h, and the leaching efficiency of lithium and cobalt was improved from 69.86% and 70.80% to 89.86% and 98.22%, respectively. Importantly, the apparent activation energy and leaching kinetic equation of the reaction was calculated by the shrinking core reaction model, indicating that the reaction was controlled by the chemical reaction. (C) 2021 Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this study, ammonia leaching and high-energy ball milling were used to recover spent LiCoO2 material, with a focus on the ammonia-sodium sulfite-ammonium chloride system. Ball milling for 5 hours significantly reduced the leaching equilibrium time and improved lithium and cobalt leaching efficiency. The reaction was controlled by chemical reaction according to the shrinking core reaction model.