Yeongpung Recycles Battery Modules by Melting Whole Units Without Disassembly... Mineral Recovery Increased by 10%

Dry and Wet Integrated Process Dramatically Reducing Preprocessing

Global non-ferrous metal company Youngpoong has developed a recycling technology that extracts lithium by melting the entire module without dismantling electric vehicle batteries.

Shim Tae-jun, Executive Director of Youngpoong's Green Business Division, introduced this technology at the 1st Battery Recycling Seminar hosted by SNE Research on the 18th at the Korea Science and Technology Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. He explained, "Since it can be dangerous to input the module without discharging, the battery voltage is brought to zero (0) before melting." Shim added, "This process takes 6 to 8 hours, and up to 20 hours if prolonged. (Because it takes a long time) inventory can accumulate, but we will overcome this issue."

In the wet process adopted by other domestic and international companies, waste batteries are dismantled down to the cell level during preprocessing, then crushed into small pieces to produce black mass, the recycling raw material. In this process, key mineral materials such as lithium are lost. Youngpoong's method inputs the battery at the module level directly into a dry melting furnace, resulting in almost no loss of key mineral materials. Compared to the wet method, mineral recovery rates are 8-10% higher, and added value is 10-15% greater.

Battery units are divided into cells, modules, and packs. A cell is the basic unit of a battery composed of cathode, anode, separator, and electrolyte, and multiple cells bundled together form a module. A pack is the final unit that bundles several modules together with added cooling devices. Typically, battery recycling companies dismantle waste battery modules into smaller units below the cell level and crush them for processing.

On the 18th, at the Korea Science and Technology Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Shim Tae-jun, Executive Director of Youngpoong, presented the integrated dry and wet process for secondary batteries and business promotion strategies at the 'Battery Recycling Day 2023' seminar.
[Photo by Youngpoong]

Youngpoong plans to be the first in the world to introduce this technology at a dry and wet integrated commercial plant scheduled to start operation in 2024. This plant will be able to reprocess 20,000 tons annually (equivalent to 60,000 to 80,000 electric vehicles). Applying this 'Direct Feeding' method, which inputs waste battery modules as they are, can drastically reduce the cost and time required for preprocessing.

The dry and wet integrated process is Youngpoong's unique resource circulation technology that first extracts lithium in powder form through a dry melting process (melting by applying heat) and then recovers lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper, and other materials by secondary processing of the concentrated intermediate raw materials in a wet process.

Additionally, Youngpoong plans to introduce the concept of a 'Module Base Platform' by modularizing the core processes of the dry and wet integrated process to operate them either centralized or separated according to regional circumstances. This method gathers the core processes of preprocessing, dry, and wet processes in one place and separates them as needed to build optimized processes at various locations of battery and cathode material plants domestically and internationally, thereby improving operational efficiency.

For example, relatively simple preprocessing facilities would operate in countries A and B where battery manufacturers are located, while the remaining dry and wet process facilities would be built and integrated in other countries. This approach effectively responds to the global secondary battery value chain while reducing investment costs and enhancing economic feasibility.

Youngpoong plans to contribute to carbon neutrality by integrating carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technology and steam turbine generator (STG) power generation using waste heat generated from the process into the secondary battery resource circulation commercial plant.

Executive Director Shim said, "Producing key battery mineral materials with Youngpoong's secondary battery resource circulation technology reduces carbon emissions to one-third to one-sixth compared to traditional mining methods, making it more economical and environmentally friendly." He added, "Through the commercialization of Youngpoong's unique dry and wet integrated technology, we will reduce carbon emissions and contribute to the battery resource circulation economy by establishing a self-sufficient base for key minerals."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.