Separation of Li and Co from LiCoO2 Cathode Material Through Aluminothermic Reduction Using Different Aluminum Sources: Chemical Grade, Swarf, and Dross

The worldwide ever-increasing vehicle uptake escalates the number of end-of-life lithium-ion batteries that need to be managed. Aluminothermic reductionAluminothermic reduction is considered as an alternative approach for separating Li and Co from LiCoO2, the most common material used as batteries’ cathode. The current study evaluates the potential use of three different aluminum sources (chemical grade, waste swarf, and waste drossDross) as reductants for the aluminothermic reductionAluminothermic reduction process. Systematic thermodynamic analyses have been carried out using the FactSage thermochemical package to identify the optimum conditions and the reaction products at various temperatures. Selected experiments were carried out to demonstrate the process. In the case of reduction with chemical grade aluminum, Co could be extracted as Co metal or Co–Al alloy while Li is distributed to Li(g) and slagSlag. The impurities in the waste swarf and Al drossDross were found to affect the Co and Li products and their separation mechanism.