Project 3-3

Today, disassembly strategies in battery recycling focus on battery systems, but not on battery cell level as shredding processes are used for battery cell recycling. The dismantling of cells down to the individual electrode seems to be promising. An improvement of the degree of purity can be achieved in the recycling of battery cell materials, for example through the upstream separation of anodes and cathodes in cell disassembly. The result can be an improved environmental and economic recycling route.

Specific objectives:

• Development of a multi-stage model to represent different "reverse production" process chains
• Quantify the sensitivity of CO2-footprint or dismantling costs in relation to the model input parameters (cell geometry, ageing condition)
• Experimental evaluation of the model by semi-automated disassembly of battery cells
• Derive ecologically and economically optimal reverse production process chains and disassembly level

Expected outcome:

• Model for the representation of a "reverse production" process chain
• Semi-automated disassembly process established for lithium-ion battery cells
• Identification of an optimal dismantling level for different battery cell types