Recycling Lithium-Ion Batteries to Make New Cathode Materials
This patent describes a method for recycling used lithium-ion batteries by dissolving their cathode materials, adjusting the metal ratios in a liquid, and then pulling out a custom mix of materials for new batteries without needing extreme heat.
Original patent title: “Method and apparatus for recycling lithium-ion batteries”
This patent describes a method for recycling used lithium-ion batteries by dissolving their cathode materials, adjusting the metal ratios in a liquid, and then pulling out a custom mix of materials for new batteries without needing extreme heat. Granted to Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 2019 with 14 claims and 9 forward citations, and it is expected to expire in 2036.
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This method recycles lithium-ion batteries by first crushing the old battery material and mixing it with an acidic liquid, like sulfuric acid, and hydrogen peroxide to create a "leach solution" (ClaimclaimA numbered sentence at the end of a patent that legally defines what the inventor owns. The most important section.Read more → 1). This process separates the useful cathode materials, such as cobalt, nickel, manganese, and aluminum, into dissolved salts, leaving behind undissolved parts. The patent then details determining the exact mix, or "molar ratio," of these dissolved metals. Based on what's needed for a new battery, additional metal salts (like nickel, cobalt, manganese, or aluminum sulfates or hydroxides) are added to the solution to achieve a specific desired ratio (Claim 1). A chelating agent, such as 5-sulfosalicylic acid, is added with aluminum sulfate (Claim 11). Finally, the liquid's pH is raised to at least 10, causing the desired metals to "coprecipitate" (fall out of solution together) as a combined hydroxide or carbonate, forming a "charge material precursor" (Claim 1). This precursor can then be heated with lithium carbonate to become active cathode material for new batteries.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover recycling methods that separate useful elements into individual pure metals before recombining them, as it emphasizes keeping them commingled.
- Does not cover processes that do not involve adjusting the molar ratio of the dissolved cathode material salts to a predetermined target.
- Does not cover methods that precipitate the desired cathode materials at a pH lower than 10.
- Does not cover recycling processes that omit the use of hydrogen peroxide during the initial leaching step.
- Does not cover methods that do not include adding a chelating agent when adjusting the solution with aluminum sulfate.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
Key facts
What made this novel
The cleverness lies in avoiding the energy-intensive step of separating each metal individually. Instead, the useful metals remain mixed in the solution, their ratios are adjusted, and then they are made to precipitate together directly into a combined cathode precursor, saving significant energy and simplifying the process.
The Patent Drawing
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Recycling facilities for electric vehicle batteries
Recycling plants for consumer electronics batteries
Production of new cathode materials for battery manufacturers
Closed-loop supply chains for battery components
Why it matters
The bigger picture
Lithium-ion batteries power everything from phones to electric cars, and their demand is growing rapidly. Recycling these batteries is crucial to reduce reliance on mining new raw materials, conserve valuable resources like cobalt and nickel, and minimize environmental waste. This patent offers a more energy-efficient way to recover these critical materials by avoiding the high heat typically needed to separate individual elements, making the recycling process more sustainable and cost-effective.
Filed
November 22, 2016
Granted
December 31, 2019
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, the assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →, continues to research sustainable technologies. Companies like Redwood Materials, Li-Cycle, Umicore, and BASF are actively developing and scaling up various methods for lithium-ion battery recycling, focusing on efficient recovery of critical materials to support the growing electric vehicle and energy storage markets.
Market impact
This type of recycling technology helps address the increasing demand for critical battery materials while mitigating environmental concerns associated with battery waste. By offering a more efficient and potentially lower-cost method for recovering and reusing cathode materials, it can contribute to more sustainable battery production, reduce reliance on new mining operations, and support the circular economy for lithium-ion batteries.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This method recycles lithium-ion batteries by first crushing the old battery material and mixing it with an acidic liquid, like sulfuric acid, and hydrogen peroxide to create a "leach solution" (Claim 1). This process separates the useful cathode materials, such as cobalt, nickel, manganese, and aluminum, into dissolved salts, leaving behind undissolved parts. The patent then details determining the exact mix, or "molar ratio," of these dissolved metals. Based on what's needed for a new battery, additional metal salts (like nickel, cobalt, manganese, or aluminum sulfates or hydroxides) are added to the solution to achieve a specific desired ratio (Claim 1). A chelating agent, such as 5-sulfosalicylic acid, is added with aluminum sulfate (Claim 11). Finally, the liquid's pH is raised to at least 10, causing the desired metals to "coprecipitate" (fall out of solution together) as a combined hydroxide or carbonate, forming a "charge material precursor" (Claim 1). This precursor can then be heated with lithium carbonate to become active cathode material for new batteries.
The clever bit
The cleverness lies in avoiding the energy-intensive step of separating each metal individually. Instead, the useful metals remain mixed in the solution, their ratios are adjusted, and then they are made to precipitate together directly into a combined cathode precursor, saving significant energy and simplifying the process.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover recycling methods that separate useful elements into individual pure metals before recombining them, as it emphasizes keeping them commingled.
- Does not cover processes that do not involve adjusting the molar ratio of the dissolved cathode material salts to a predetermined target.
- Does not cover methods that precipitate the desired cathode materials at a pH lower than 10.
- Does not cover recycling processes that omit the use of hydrogen peroxide during the initial leaching step.
- Does not cover methods that do not include adding a chelating agent when adjusting the solution with aluminum sulfate.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
Patent enters public domain
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
20/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
9/20
Moderate scope
Recency
10/20
Granted 5–10 years ago
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$115K – $369K
Midpoint $230K · 10.3 yr remaining · industry ×2.4
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
Claim text not yet imported for this patent
The original legal language
Original claims
14 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Sa, Q., Gratz, E., Zheng, Z., Heelan, J., & Wang, Y. (2019). Recycling Lithium-Ion Batteries to Make New Cathode Materials (U.S. Patent No. 10,522,884). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10522884/method-and-apparatus-for-recycling-lithium-ion-batteries
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Recycling Lithium-Ion Batteries to Make New Cathode Materials cover?
This patent describes a method for recycling used lithium-ion batteries by dissolving their cathode materials, adjusting the metal ratios in a liquid, and then pulling out a custom mix of materials for new batteries without needing extreme heat.
Who owns patent US 10522884?
Worcester Polytechnic Institute owns this patent, granted in 2019.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on November 22, 2036, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 10522884 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 9 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
Lithium-ion batteries power everything from phones to electric cars, and their demand is growing rapidly. Recycling these batteries is crucial to reduce reliance on mining new raw materials, conserve valuable resources like cobalt and nickel, and minimize environmental waste. This patent offers a more energy-efficient way to recover these critical materials by avoiding the high heat typically needed to separate individual elements, making the recycling process more sustainable and cost-effective.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover recycling methods that separate useful elements into individual pure metals before recombining them, as it emphasizes keeping them commingled.
Patent monitoring