Duesenfeld System Targets Battery Cell Scrap

Lithium Ion Battery Cell Scrap

German Technology Firm Achieves High-Purity Recovery in Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling

Wendeburg, Germany-based recycling technology developer Duesenfeld has introduced a multi-step lithium-ion battery recycling process designed to maximize material recovery. The system yields high-purity metals, graphite, and electrolytes, offering a sustainable solution for battery recycling.

High Recovery Rates and Sustainable Processing

Duesenfeld reports achieving a 72% recycling rate of lithium-ion battery materials through mechanical processing. Its hydrometallurgical process, which produces what the company calls Duesenfeld Black, further increases the material recovery rate to 91%.

“Only the separator film and high boiler portion of the electrolyte are not recovered at the moment,” the firm states. The three-stage process combines mechanical, thermodynamic, and hydrometallurgical methods, ensuring high recovery rates while minimizing energy consumption and pollutants.

Innovative Approach to Battery Recycling

Duesenfeld's patented process begins with a deep discharge technique for end-of-life lithium-ion batteries, allowing for the safe recovery of embedded energy.

• Mechanical Recycling Stage: Batteries are shredded under an inert gas atmosphere. Electrolyte solvents are recovered via vacuum distillation and supplied to chemical industry customers for further use.
• Sorting and Separation: Dry electrode scrap from battery production is sorted based on physical properties such as grain size, density, and magnetic/electrical characteristics before metallurgical processing.
• Metallurgical Recovery: Iron, copper, and aluminum fractions are sold to established markets, while Duesenfeld Black (black mass) containing cobalt, lithium, nickel, manganese, and graphite enters the hydrometallurgical process.

Proven Success in Pilot Projects

Duesenfeld reports that a pilot project achieved over a 90% recycling rate for an industrial nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) cathode scrap stream, with minimal aluminum impurities. Laboratory tests have confirmed that batteries with 26% recycled content performed comparably to those made from primary materials.

Duesenfeld's innovation presents a scalable, energy-efficient solution for battery recycling, reinforcing the shift toward a circular economy in the EV and energy storage sectors.