The batteries that do not have the value of step utilization and after step utilization in the retired lithium iron phosphate batteries will eventually be dismantled and recycled.  Lithium iron phosphate battery and lithium ternary battery are that it does not contain heavy metals, and the recovery is mainly Li, P, and Fe. The added value of the recovery product is low, so it is necessary to develop low-cost recovery routes, mainly including fire and wet methods. 

Fire recovery process

The traditional fire-recovery method incites the electrodes at high temperatures, burning off the carbon and organic matter in the electrode fragments. The remaining ash that cannot be burned is eventually screened to produce fine powdery materials containing metals and metal oxides. The process is simple, but the treatment process is long, and the comprehensive recovery of valuable metals is low. Improved pyrotechnical recovery technology separates lithium iron phosphate material from aluminum foil by calcining to remove the organic binder to obtain lithium iron phosphate material. And then add the appropriate amount of raw materials to get the required molar ratio of lithium, iron, and phosphorus to synthesize new lithium iron phosphate by high-temperature solid-phase method. 

According to the cost calculation, the waste lifepo4 battery can be recycled by the improved fire and dry method, but the new lithium iron phosphate prepared by this recovery process has many impurities and unstable performance.  

Wet recovery process

The wet recovery process means dissolving the metal ions of lifepo4 batteries by acid and alkali solution, further use of precipitation, adsorption, and other ways to dissolve metal ions to oxide, salt, and other forms of extraction. Reagents such as H2SO4, NaOH, and H2O2 are primarily used in the reaction process. 

The wet recovery process is simple and has a low equipment requirement, suitable for large-scale industrial production. It is also the mainstream treatment of waste lithium batteries in China.