Separation of Cathode Material from Aluminum Plate by Ultrasonic Action using Fenton’s Reagent

Abstract Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) has been used as a binder in lithium-ion batteries due to its high viscosity, which makes it difficult to separate the cathode material from the aluminum plate when recycling waste lithium-ion batteries. In this study, the peeling effect and mechanism of Fenton’s reagent on the cathode material and aluminum plate of spent lithium-ion batteries under the action of ultrasound has been researched. The results showed that when the ratio of Fe 2 +/H 2 O 2 was 1:40, temperature was 45 °C, time was 35 min, and liquid-solid ratio was 50:1, the removal rate of cathode material was 98.52%. The combined action of Fenton’s reagent and ultrasonic cavitation oxidized or promoted PVDF to combine with lithium cobalt oxide to form COF 3 , thereby separating the cathode material from the aluminum foil without changing the structure of lithium cobalt oxide cathode material. Nevertheless, this study may provide a processing method to separate the cathode material from the aluminum plate effectively.