Reverse salinity energy harvesting-assisted electromembrane system for metal ion fractionation and hydrogen production from battery waste

Descrizione del progetto

Una soluzione per affrontare e utilizzare i rifiuti delle batterie

Le batterie agli ioni di litio (LIB, lithium-ion battery) sono state sino ad ora rivoluzionarie, facendo progredire l’automazione e trasformando molte tecnologie utilizzate nella vita quotidiana; ciononostante, il loro recupero è particolarmente impegnativo a causa delle miscele tossiche multicomponenti prodotte durante la lisciviazione acida, che ne riducono significativamente la sostenibilità. Il progetto ReHeal4waste, finanziato dal CER, si prefigge di progettare un’innovativa metodologia volta a frazionare selettivamente gli ioni metallici dai rifiuti delle batterie e a produrre idrogeno sfruttando i gradienti di salinità che si formano durante la miscelazione di diverse concentrazioni. A tal fine, il progetto utilizzerà l’elettrodialisi inversa per generare energia e affrontare i principali sprechi, contribuendo allo sforzo fondamentale inteso a migliorare la riciclabilità e la transizione verso tecnologie più sostenibili.

Obiettivo

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have revolutionised daily life and automation, but recovering them poses challenges due to the toxic, multi-component mixtures produced during acidic leaching.
Here, we propose a novel method for selectively fractionating metal ions from battery waste and hydrogen production powered by salinity gradient differences that occur when two solutions with different concentrations are mixed. To achieve this, we employ reverse electrodialysis (RED). The RED process selectively fractionates transition metal ions from battery effluent, including complex and toxic metals like Co, Ni and Mn. It also aims to generate energy by increasing the electrical potential difference between the external electrodes, using this power for water electrolysis. These three effects will coincide within the same membrane stack and are inseparable.
The research's primary objective is to design and develop an ultra-selective cation exchange membrane that allows for the transportation of only specific transition metal ions such as Co, Ni, or Mn, while facilitating energy extraction through the mixing of spent battery effluents and low-concentration acids.
Research on battery waste and hydrogen production from SGE sheds new light on the correlation between membrane properties, energy harvesting, and power hydrogen generation. This research delves into the membrane structure and how its properties impact the amount of energy extracted.
The search for novel solutions for extracting metal ions from battery waste should minimise carbon footprint, save energy consumption, and effectively fractionate metal ions from multi-component solutions.
The ReHeal4waste introduce a novel Quality to wastewater treatment, offering the opportunity for the fractionation of toxic metal ions and the generation of energy through the controlled mixing of waste streams with low acid content and the generation of green hydrogen.