Development of a Scale-up Methodology for inline high shear mixers used for gas dispersion in Aurubis’ Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Project

The imperative to address the mounting demand for battery recycling, propelled by EU regulations and the exponential growth of the battery production sector, has spurred Aurubis to pioneer an innovative recycling process. Mandates outlined by EU directives necessitate that by 2032, a significant proportion of battery components—95% of Co/Ni/Mn and 80% of Li—must be derived from recycled materials. With battery production anticipated to surge to 4TWh by 2030, the demand for efficient recycling infrastructure cannot be overstated, prompting the development of a new plant equipped with cutting-edge recycling technology.
The main challenges for conventional recycling methods are lengthy processing times and limited capacity. In response, Aurubis’ Research and Development team with collaboration of TU/e, Process and product design program, have engineered a novel approach. Central to the process is the immersion of black mass—comprising cathode and anode active materials—in acid, augmented with an oxidant. The main contribution of this project is the scale up of this system to an industrial capacity. This is achieved through mechanism investigation and simulation of the system.