Determination of Essential Metals and Trace Elements in Black Mass using ICPE-9820

User Benefits

－ Simultaneous analysis of essential metals (Li, Co, Ni, etc.) and trace elements in black mass can be analyzed, thus contributing to LiB recycling. － ICPE-9820 can achieve accurate analysis with lower argon gas consumption and running cost using a mini torch.

Introduction

There has been a surge in demand for lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) in recent years, driven primarily by the increasing global demand for consumer electronics demand and the shift toward electric vehicles in the automobile industry. As a result, there is a substantial need for essential metals like cobalt (Co), lithium (Li), manganese (Mn), and nickel (Ni) to meet the growing production demands of LiBs. However, these valuable metals have limited global reserves, and the extraction process has adverse environmental effects. To address these concerns, a sustainable approach such as LiBs recycling is necessary. Through the recycling process, essential metals can be reclaimed from spent batteries and repurposed as raw material for new batteries. This, in turn, minimizes waste generated from spent batteries. Currently, the European Union has set a minimum recycling efficiency of 50% by the average weight of spent batteries. One common method for recycling LiBs and other electronic waste such as printed circuit boards, involves physical and thermo-mechanical processing to generate a granular powder mixture known as black mass. This mixture comprises varying concentrations of essential metals, graphite, electrolyte residues, and impurities such as trace elements. Analyzing black mass for both essential metals and trace elements is crucial for optimizing the separation techniques, thereby yielding recycled materials with desired characteristics for the manufacturing of new batteries. In this application news, Shimadzu ICPE-9820, a simultaneous inductively coupled plasma (ICP) atomic emission spectrophotometer was used to conduct simultaneous analysis of elements in a black mass sample. With its dual plasma axial/radial axis viewing, analysis of elements present from trace to high-level concentrations can be performed.

September 9, 2024 GMT