@inproceedings{AckerDuckeRietigetal., author = {Acker, J{\"o}rg and Ducke, Jana and Rietig, Anja and M{\"u}ller, Tim and Eisert, Stefan and Reichenbach, Birk and L{\"o}ser, Wolfgang}, title = {Segregation, grain boundary milling, and chemical leaching for the refinement of metallurgical-grade silicon for photovoltaic application}, series = {Silicon for the Chemical and Solar Industry XII, Trondheim, 2014}, booktitle = {Silicon for the Chemical and Solar Industry XII, Trondheim, 2014}, editor = {Oye, Harald A. and Brekken, Harald and Rong, Harry and Tangstad, Merete and Tveit, Halvard}, publisher = {Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology}, address = {Trondheim}, isbn = {978-82-997357-8-0}, pages = {177 -- 188}, abstract = {The present work describes a completely new approach to the solidification refinement of metallurgical-grade silicon. The new process comprises the following steps: (i) The first step involves adding auxiliary metals to the molten silicon in order to segregate the metallic and non-metallic impurities in the secondary phase after cooling. (ii) The melt is rapidly cooled in the cellular solidification regime. This generates a Si microstructure with a defined cell size in which all cell boundaries are surrounded by the secondary phase. Furthermore, the secondary phase should form an interconnected three-dimensional network. (iii) The solids are crushed by shockwaves using electrohydraulic fragmentation techniques. The shockwaves lead to preferential crushing at the interface between the silicon and the secondary phase. (iv) The secondary phases are fast and effectively removed by microwave-assisted high-pressure leaching that was newly developed for this process. The potential of the new refinement procedure is demonstrated with auxiliary metals Ca, Al, and Ti. This new procedure yields a significant decrease in phosphorous and metal impurities.}, language = {en} } @misc{SieberDuckeRietigetal., author = {Sieber, Tim and Ducke, Jana and Rietig, Anja and Langner, Thomas and Acker, J{\"o}rg}, title = {Recovery of Li(Ni0.33Mn0.33Co0.33)O2 from Lithium-Ion Battery Cathodes: Aspects of Degradation}, series = {Nanomaterials}, volume = {9}, journal = {Nanomaterials}, number = {2}, issn = {2079-4991}, doi = {10.3390/nano9020246}, pages = {246 -- 259}, abstract = {Nickel-manganese-cobalt oxides, with LiNi0.33Mn0.33Co0.33O2 (NMC) as the most prominent compound, are state-of-the-art cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles. The growing market for electro mobility has led to a growing global demand for Li, Co, Ni, and Mn, making spent lithium-ion batteries a valuable secondary resource. Going forward, energy- and resource-inefficient pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical recycling strategies must be avoided. We presented an approach to recover NMC particles from spent lithium-ion battery cathodes while preserving their chemical and morphological properties, with a minimal use of chemicals. The key task was the separation of the cathode coating layer consisting of NMC, an organic binder, and carbon black, from the Al substrate foil. This can be performed in water under strong agitation to support the slow detachment process. However, the contact of the NMC cathode with water leads to a release of Li+ ions and a fast increase in the pH. Unwanted side reactions may occur as the Al substrate foil starts to dissolve and Al(OH)3 precipitates on the NMC. These side reactions are avoided using pH-adjusted solutions with sufficiently high buffer capacities to separate the coating layer from the Al substrate, without precipitations and without degradation of the NMC particles.}, language = {en} }