Breakthrough technology for  battery metal production and  recycling processes

Published on by in Business

Breakthrough technology for  battery metal production and  recycling processes

NEW  real-time analysis and process control technology in battery metal manufacturing and recycling will significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of hydrometallurgical processes. This increases productivity and reduces waste, whilst also helping to ensure end-product quality and purity.

A group of scientists and industry professionals at the company Sensmet have developed the µDOES® (Micro-Discharge Optical Emission Spectroscopy) on-line analyser, which offers real-time quantification of all battery and impurity metals. The recycling of used batteries is an extremely complex process where Sensmet’s solution provides a major step forward in black mass characterisation and process monitoring procedures that have traditionally relied heavily on time-consuming spot sampling and labour-intensive laboratory analysis. With a focus on robustness, real-time results, and ease-of use, Sensmet’s µDOES stands out from analytical instruments such as ICP-OES – providing an ideal solution for industrial applications.

The level of automation and the swiftness of analytical methods are critical in enhancing production processes. Explaining the importance of this new technology for online monitoring, Sensmet CEO Dr Toni Laurila said: “The great strength of laboratory inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) is its ability to accurately identify the atomic composition of complex samples. These instruments are extensively used for measuring metals in samples taken from metal manufacturing and battery metal recycling processes. But here’s the catch: even the most accurate ICP-OES lab analysis becomes irrelevant if it takes several hours to receive the results. By that point, the process has already progressed, rendering the lab results outdated.

“Our customers are consistently impressed with how effortless and convenient µDOES is to operate, and how accurate the results are. Also, the fact that the graphite and solid content in the leached black mass sample does not affect the measurement is highly valued. This is because the µDOES only requires sample dilution with demineralised water; it therefore eliminates the laborious sample preparation procedures that are required for ICP-OES analysis.”

How does it work?

The patented µDOES creates a micro-discharge (electric spark) in the diluted sample drawn from the process stream. This causes a microscopic volume of the fluid surrounding the spark to be flash-heated to 10,000°C so that molecular species in the spark are dissociated into atoms, which are excited to higher electronic states. When returning to their ground state, these atoms release excess energy by emitting light at their characteristic wavelengths. The µDOES measures this atomic emission spectrum to derive quantitative analysis of the metals in the sample.

Data from the µDOES analyser are displayed instantaneously, showing the concentrations and trends for each metal. Results are also transferred digitally to users’ data management systems, which is crucially important because this enables real-time process control.

The µDOES instrument comes with user-friendly Senspec software, which not only manages data but also presents analysis results, time trends, and alarm  levels for detected metals. Beyond simultaneous  detection, identification, and quantification of metals,  Senspec also adjusts for cross-interference effects  to ensure accurate measurement results, even  when analysing complex matrices with overlapping  emission spectra. 

Attached link

https://www.sensmet.com/breakthrough-technology-for-battery-metal-production-and-recycling-processes

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