Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Separation and Purification Technology, cilt.380, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
In recent years, lithium‑iron phosphate batteries have significantly increased their market share in the lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) industry due to their exceptional stability and low cost. Since flotation, which is a promising technique for separating electrode materials in LIBs, exploits differences in surface properties to separate materials like graphite from cathode materials, studies on the differences in flotation separation between LFP cathodes and graphite anodes remain scarce, and systematic comparisons of flotation behavior between LFP and traditional Ni, Mn, and Co-containing cathode materials are lacking. To address this gap, this study explores systematically the flotation separation efficiency and mechanisms of graphite anodes and four typical LIB cathodes, namely lithium‑iron phosphate (LFP), lithium‑manganese oxide (LMO), lithium‑cobalt oxide (LCO), and nickel‑cobalt‑manganese ternary oxide (NCM) via micro-flotation experiments and surface characterization. Raw materials from unassembled batteries were employed to preserve intrinsic properties such as wettability and particle size. The results show that in the single flotation systems of four cathode materials and anode graphite (emulsified kerosene 350 g·t−1, sec-octanol 100 g·t−1), the recovery rate of LFP is 84.98 %, which is higher than that of LMO (2.93 %), LCO (7.73 %) and NCM (7.04 %), but still lower than that of graphite (98.98 %). In the mixed flotation system of cathode and anode materials (emulsified kerosene 0 g·t−1, sec-octanol 100 g·t−1), only a small amount of LMO, LCO and NCM enter the froth product, while the recovery rate of LFP reaches 82.23 %, significantly higher than that of graphite (40.11 %). A series of characterization tests revealed that the abnormal preferential flotation behavior of hydrophilic LFP likely originates from the synergistic effects of its ultrafine particle size, high specific surface area, and surface chemical properties. This study provides critical insights for the development of green LIB recycling technologies and theoretical innovations in the separation of complex multiphase systems.