As more electric trucks, SUVs, and sports cars are introduced to the market, the size and quantity of battery packs required to power them continue to grow. To achieve a power output of 170 kWh to 215 kWh, battery packs typically contain over 1,000 individual cells, some of which, but not all, are grouped into dozens of modules. The largest commercial battery packs for these vehicles are comparable in size to a king-sized mattress and can weigh nearly 2,000 pounds.
Large battery packs of this scale pose considerable challenges when attempting to recover valuable materials during recycling, starting with the difficulties of lifting and integrating them into conventional battery recycling systems. When this happens, recyclers are required to break down large packs into smaller components. However, this process is highly challenging because potting materials secure the components into a solid structure. This makes it difficult to cut, dissolve, or separate the pack into parts without causing damage. Attempts to do so risk puncturing or harming the cells, potentially leading to fire or even thermal runaways that cannot be extinguished. Just the act of shredding batteries that haven’t been fully discharged can introduce joules of energy into the system. Simply put, managing the immense heat and energy that can be released during recycling presents considerable technical challenges that must be addressed.
Fortunately, a leading battery recycling equipment manufacturer in the US now provides systems capable of handling large battery packs without requiring disassembly or discharge. These systems, which are designed to seamlessly integrate as the “front end” of existing recycling processes, are already in use by the largest EV manufacturers in the world. Systems are now in production in Germany, the UK and the US.
“Battery recyclers require a comprehensive, turnkey solution designed to safely and efficiently shred the largest commercial EV battery packs on the market, without having to discharge the battery first,” says John Neuens, industrial consultant for Milwaukee, WI-based LithiBatt, a division of BCA Industries, an OEM of closed loop recycling systems for Li-ion, LiFePO4, nickel metal hydride, zinc-bromine, and other types of batteries.
These large battery pack systems enable EV manufacturers and major recyclers to efficiently and safely recover valuable ferrous metals and battery-grade black mass, with a complex mix of metals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese that can be refined into precursor cathode active material (pCAM) through hydrometallurgical processes by the recycler themselves or third-party buyers of black mass.
Safe shredding of large battery packs comes with considerable safety and processing challenges. Through extensive research, design, and production testing, LithiBatt engineered a fully sealed system incorporating a water-nitrogen blanket, lift-and-dump mechanism, three-part progressive shredding, air and water treatment system along with other unique design features.
“The hydro-nitrogen ‘large pack’ battery recycling systems can safely process anything from multiple smaller packs and modules to whole battery packs used in electric trucks and SUVs,” says Neuens, adding that the system is used by the largest EV manufacturer in America, as well as some of the world’s largest recyclers to shred packs that measure 70”x118”x15” and weigh over 1,700 pounds.
For more information: call 414-353-1002; email [email protected]; or visit www.bca-industries.com.