Fossil fuels are being increasingly replaced by other energy sources. Accumulators and batteries are increasingly being produced to store renewable energy. As a result, the need for low-cost recycling methods is also growing. BHS-Sonthofen has developed an efficient and reliable process for recycling accumulators and batteries in a safe and environmentally friendly manner. Using this process, it is also possible to extract raw materials such as copper, lithium, nickel and cobalt for reuse.
After the batteries have been discharged, they are shredded with the BHS Rotary Shear (VR) for packs and modules or the Universal Shredder (NGU) for cells or as a second shredding step after the rotary shear. In order to avoid sparking, the shredder for this special application is designed gas-tight and operates under a protective atmosphere.
As soon as the feed material has reached the desired target size, the parts fall through appropriately designed grate segments. In horizontal continuous or batch dryers of our subsidiary AVA, the shredded batteries are then heated batch by batch so that the electrolyte components evaporate and can be recovered via a condensation unit. The solid components, completely free of electrolytes, undergo a dry-mechanical treatment. After an initial screening, black mass can already be recovered. Subsequently, a heavy/light separation takes place by means of sifting. The remaining composites go to a second size reduction stage and are fed to a dry-mechanical sorting system. As end products, the black mass as well as smeltable copper concentrate and concentrated aluminium can be recovered.
Our shredding machines are available in different sizes to meet your individual requirements. Our systems allow you to process any type of cell and module. The end products are aluminum, high-grade copper concentrates and pure black mass, which contains lithium salts, manganese, cobalt or nickel depending on the type of battery. All three fractions are immediately ready for remarketing.