{
  "patent_number": "US 12327847",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "Recycling Lithium-Ion Battery Parts Using a Gentle Liquid Method",
  "original_title": "Method of recycling materials from lithium-ion batteries",
  "summary": "This patent describes a method for taking apart used lithium-ion batteries by soaking their electrodes in a special liquid to separate valuable materials like active electrode powders from metal collectors, making them easier to reuse.",
  "what_it_does": "The patent describes a method for recycling lithium-ion battery materials. It starts by taking a \"composite electrode,\" which includes both anode and cathode parts, and mixing it with an \"aqueous buffer solution\" (Claim 1). This solution helps to \"delaminate\" (separate) the active electrode material from its metal \"current collector.\" Specifically, the anode active material is separated from its current collector first, then removed (Claim 1). Afterward, a \"surfactant\" is added to the mixture, and the cathode active material is separated from its current collector (Claim 1). Both the separated active materials and the metal current collectors are then recovered, potentially by sieving or filtration (Claim 8). For example, if you have a used electric vehicle battery, this method would let you get back the graphite from the anode and the lithium cobalt oxide from the cathode, along with the copper and aluminum foils.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover recycling methods that use strong acids or high temperatures to separate battery materials, as it specifies an aqueous buffer solution and mild temperatures (Claim 1, 2, 5).",
    "Does not cover methods where anode and cathode materials are delaminated simultaneously, as Claim 1 specifies they are \"delaminated sequentially in that order.\"",
    "Does not cover recycling processes that do not involve an aqueous buffer solution to initiate the delamination (Claim 1).",
    "Does not cover methods that do not separate the electrode material from the current collector; the core step is \"delaminating the electrode material from the current collector\" (Claim 1)."
  ],
  "filed": "2022-03-29",
  "granted": "2025-06-10",
  "expires": "2042-03-29",
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "UT Battelle",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/ut-battelle",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Yaocai BAI",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/yaocai-bai"
    },
    {
      "name": "Ilias Belharouak",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/ilias-belharouak"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 0,
  "tags": [
    "consumer_electronics",
    "automotive",
    "energy",
    "materials",
    "telecommunications"
  ],
  "abstract": "A method of recycling lithium-ion battery materials is provided. The method includes isolating a composite electrode that includes an electrode material adhered to a current collector. The composite electrode is combined with an aqueous buffer solution to form a mixture. The electrode material is delaminated from the current collector in the mixture to give a free electrode material and a free current collector. Each of the free electrode material and the free current collector is recovered from the mixture. Combining the composite electrode with the aqueous buffer solution occurs before delaminating the electrode material from the current collector. The step of delaminating optionally may include adding a surfactant to the mixture.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12327847/method-of-recycling-materials-from-lithium-ion-batteries",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12327847/method-of-recycling-materials-from-lithium-ion-batteries/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US12327847",
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}