양극 활물질 전구체(LNO) 공정부산물로부터 탄산리튬 및 니켈 회수 연구

Abstract

Currently, Korea is a representative resource-poor country that relies on imports for most of its metal materials. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a stable resource supply system for the survival of domestic industries. So far, many researches have been conducted here on how to recover the valuable metals, but the current level of technology makes it difficult to commercialize Cathode Active material. The market size of lithium-ion batteries is expected to reach around $19.3 billion by 2015, and total $39.6 billion by 2020. Not only does a waste lithium-ion battery have the potential to explode as it reacts with water in the air, but there is also a lithium salinity or electrolyte contained in an organic electrolyte that causes soil problems when buried and disposed of. Also, heavy metals such as Ni and Co exist in cathode Active waste lithium-ion battery. If these valuable metals are not recycled, they can not only waste resources but also become environmental pollution. Recycling of waste lithium-ion batteries and recovery of valuable metals are very useful in both environmental and economic terms. Currently, the most commonly used cathode Active material for lithium-ion batteries is LCO, and as usage increases, Ni is receiving spotlight as an alternative material for Co. Not only LNO but also NCA and NMC are becoming alternative cathode Active materials of LCO due to cheaper price and higher energy capacity than Co. In addition, as the usage of electric vehicles increases, the use of NCA, an cathode active material substance of electric vehicles, is increasing and the use of Ni is increasing. The global output of nickel is projected to reach 10.7 percent by 2020 and 30 percent by 2025. This is an increase in the demand for nickel used in lithium secondary batteries for electric vehicles and is expected to surpass 1 million tons by 2025. Therefore, the recovery of Ni in lithium-ion batteries is expected to be a high value technology as the use of waste lithium batteries is gradually increased as well as increased use of nickel for secondary batteries.