This technology introduces a membrane-based platform designed to selectively recover valuable metals—including lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese—from spent lithium-ion battery cathodes. Conventional recovery processes can require multiple chemical steps and complex separation stages when processing mixed metal streams. This approach uses specialized polymer inclusion membranes that selectively transport targeted metal ions, allowing sequential separation and purification from complex battery leachates. The platform enables efficient recovery of multiple metals through controlled membrane transport processes, providing a scalable pathway for reclaiming materials that can be reintroduced into industrial supply chains.
Description
This invention utilizes task-specific polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) to selectively separate lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese from dissolved lithium-ion battery cathode materials. The system incorporates tailored chemical carriers within a polymer matrix to create membranes capable of recognizing and transporting particular metal ions from mixed solutions. These membranes act simultaneously as selective barriers and transport media, allowing targeted ions to move across the membrane while others remain in the feed stream.
The process operates through a staged separation approach in which different membranes selectively isolate specific metals from a multi-component solution derived from spent battery materials. In early stages, certain transition metals are transported across the membrane while other ions remain in solution. Subsequent membrane steps further isolate individual metals, enabling purification of each element into separate streams. Experimental results demonstrate that the system can achieve high recovery efficiencies for cobalt, nickel, manganese, and lithium while maintaining strong selectivity among competing ions.
The membrane-based architecture also supports a multi-membrane configuration capable of separating several metals simultaneously, highlighting the potential for scalable implementation in industrial material recovery processes.
Benefits
- Selective recovery of multiple battery metals from complex mixtures
- Reduced process complexity compared with multi-stage chemical separation systems
- Membrane platform adaptable to different metal separation pathways
- Potential for scalable and modular processing configurations
Applications and Industries
- Recovery of materials from spent lithium-ion batteries
- Manufacturing supply chains for battery materials and specialty metals
- Industrial separation and extraction of critical minerals
- Materials recovery from electronic waste streams
Contact
To learn more about this technology, email [email protected] or call 865-574-1051.
Researchers
Contact
To learn more about this technology, email [email protected] or call 865-574-1051.