This class focuses on cathode materials used in today’s lithium-ion batteries (LiB).
Today’s cathode materials typically contain lithium, nickel, and cobalt compounds. In this class, you will explore how to find the resources to make the cathode materials in the first place and all the steps to the finished battery from scratch.
We will cover the mineral sources and mining stages of lithium, cobalt, and nickel. All the approaches to extract these metals from the ores, including details on pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy. We will study the processing of the final cathode material. And how these materials are assembled into a battery. We will also cover recycling options for spent lithium ion batteries.
The purpose of this course is NOT to teach you about electrochemistry, nor about battery performance or the pros and cons of specific battery types.
The specific focus of this course will be on nickel, cobalt and lithium extractive metallurgy and the synthesis and assembly of common cathode materials such as LCO, NMC and NCA.
- Learn how LiB works and what it contains.
- Study the mining and processing operations: the ores, the crushing and screening operations, the froth flotation.
- Become familiar with the extractive metallurgy of cobalt and nickel.
- Find out how to perform leaching, electrowinning, or solvent extraction to obtain pure nickel and cobalt salts.
- You’ll also cover a complete section on lithium refining: learn where to find lithium resources. How to process brines and lithium ores.
- Learn how to prepare the final cathode materials: including coprecipitation, lithiation, calcination, and cathode refining.
- Assembling into a battery: electrode preparation, assembly with anode and separator, winding, electrolyte filling, and initial charging.
- Recycle batteries: Explore battery life cycle, recycling flowsheet, treatment of small and large batteries.
- Get inspired to keep learning with the large amount of literature, websites and books I have picked out for you.
Familiarize yourself with making cathode materials for LiB hassle-free! This class is very comprehensive: I have about 10 years of battery experience (ass well in academia as in industry) and a total of 20 years of chemistry research under my belt. Therefore, this course will be your reliable guide for cathode material preparation.
Introduction
Mining and Upgrading
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3Overview "from Mine to Battery" the full Flowsheet
An overview of all steps needed to make cathode materials and get them in a battery
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4A word to books and further reading
about books and publications...
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5Inside a Lithium ion Battery
You will learn the main component of a LiB battery
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6Todays Cathode Materials
We will have a look to the most common cathode materials: NMC, LCO, NCA...
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7How does a Lithium ion Battery works?
A short description on how a LiB works.
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8Further Reading: Lithium Ion Batteries
Overview on Books, Websites and Literature about Batteries in General
Pyrometallurgy
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9Chapter Overview
Short Recap on the chapter construction on the flowsheet.
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10Geology Basics
Short overview on Terminology: what is a rock? A mineral? An Ore? Gangue Rock?
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11Cobalt and Nickel: Minerals and Ores
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12Further Reading: Minerals and Ores
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13Crushing and Screening: Overview and Equipment
Presentation of the general goals followed by an overview of crushing and screening processes.
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14Crushing and Screening: Examples of a Flowsheet
An rudimentary examples of a flowsheet
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15Crushing and Screening: The Hydrocyclone
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16Froth Flotation
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17Further Reading: Crushing, Screening and Froth Flotation
Hydrometallurgy
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18Chapter Overview and General Goal
Overview of the Chapter Pyrometallurgy along with Books used
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19Simplified Process
Overview of the Pyrometallurgical Process with the different steps: Roasting, Smelting and Converting
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20Details: Roasting, Smelting and Converting
More details in the three pyrometallurgical steps: Roasting, Smelting and Converting
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21Further Reading
Further Reading Section
Lithium Extraction and Refining
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22Chapter Overview
Recap: Overview of the Chapter Hydrometalurgy
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23Leaching: Principle and Examples
What is leaching, how does it work and how can it be used to leach Nickel-Matte.
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24Refining: Goal and Methods
Overview of the different Refining Steps, which will be presented in the next lectures
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25Refining: Ion Exchange
Overview how Ion Exchange can be used to remove impurity or clean up Co- and Nickel-containing solutions
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26Refining: Precipitation
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27Refining: Cementation
Cementation is also a form of precipitation, but using spontaneous redox-reaction.
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28Refining: Electrowinning
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2933 Solvent Extraction: Goal and Principle
Overview of the Principle of Solvent Extraction and how it works
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30Solvent Extraction: Scrubbing, Washing, Stripping
At the end of the extraction process, several posttreatment steps are needed: Scrubbing, washing, stripping
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31Solvent Extraction: Examples and Coordination Compounds
More details on Solvent Extraction: we will see an examples and have a look to coordinating agents
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32Solvent Extraction: Further Reading
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33Crystallization
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34Spray Pyrolysis
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35Different Routes
Routes if you want to avoid Pyrometallurgy Steps
Making Cathode
Manufacture Battery Cell
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41Chapter Overview
Chapter Overview and Learning Goals
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42Preparation Precursor Material
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43Preparation Precursor in Details
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44Preparation Precursor Post Processing
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45Addition of Li-Salts
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46Lithiation and Calcination: Details in Calcination
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47Lithiation and Calcination : Postprocessing
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48Cathode Refining
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49The End Product
finally we have finished the cathode material...
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50Alternative Approach: Sol-gel and Spray Drying
Alternatives to Coprecipitation Routes: Sol-Gel and Spray Drying
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51Further Reading: Cathode Making
Battery Recycling - A short overview
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52Chapter overview and assembly steps
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53Electroce, Cells, Module, Pack…
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54Mixing all cathode components and Preparing Cathode
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55Drying, Calendering and Assembly
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56Bonus-Movie: How to build a pouch cell?
Pouchell Making at Helmholtz Institute Ulm
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57Winding and Stacking
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58Filling Electrolyte
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59First Charge and Formation
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60Further Assembly
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61Further Reading
Concluding Remarks
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62Chapter Overview + hoch much metals inside a battery
Chapter overview and recap on how much metals are inside a battery
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63Overview Battery Life Cycle
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64Example of a Battery Recycling Flowsheet
Description of the lifecycle of a battery
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65Types of treatment of old batteries
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66Recycling: Further Reading