Battery recycling

• Shredding process: After disassembly, the batteries are crushed into smaller fragments or powder using shredders, mills, or other mechanical processes.
• Generation of black mass: Crushing often produces a metal-rich fraction, the so-called black mass. This contains valuable metals (such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and copper) in finely dispersed form and forms the basis for subsequent metal recovery processes.
• Physical separation: Various separation methods, such as sieve analysis, density separation and magnetic separation, are used to separate the different components – especially the valuable metals from plastic, paper and other materials.
• Chemical processing: In hydrometallurgical or pyrometallurgical processes, the metals contained in the black mass are specifically dissolved and further purified so that they can be returned to the production cycle in high purity.

Depending on the type, batteries contain a variety of metals and other valuable materials that can be recovered in the recycling process. Modern batteries, such as lithium-ion batteries, in particular, contain the following main components:

• Lithium: A light alkali metal that acts as a central ionic conductor in electrochemical processes.
• Cobalt: Commonly used in cathode materials to improve battery stability and performance.
• Nickel: Increases energy density and contributes to cathode performance.
• Manganese: Often used in combination with other metals to optimize electrochemical stability and safety.
• Copper: Important for the electrical connections and current collectors within the cell.
• Aluminum: Often used as a conductive current carrier and as a component of the housing or foils.
• Graphite: The carbon material used in the anodes, which acts as a storage medium for lithium ions.