Thermal Stability of Valuable Metals in Lithium-Ion Battery Cathode Materials: Part I - Temperature Range 100-400 °C

Observation of the behaviour of the end-of-life cathode material (NMC622) and the valuable metals contained in the cathode after exposure to temperatures in the range of 100-400 °C and comparation with the untreated material. The valuable metals (Li, Ni, Mn, Co) content was determined using ICP-OES. From the measured values, their theoretical yields were calculated. Due to the annealing at given temperatures and the subsequent dissolution, this step can be considered as the first stage of the pyrometallurgical-hydrometallurgical process used in battery recycling. The study was complemented by monitoring the samples in temperature range from 100-400 °C with further analyses - XRF, XRD, SEM/EDS andTGA.