Featured Articles

Please wait a minute... For Selected: Download Citations EndNote Ris BibTeX Toggle Thumbnails Select Research advances on lithium recovery from spent lithium-ion batteries Ping XU Qin CHEN Xihua ZHANG Hongbin CAO Jingwei WANG Yi ZHANG Zhi SUN The Chinese Journal of Process Engineering    2019, 19 (5): 853-864.   DOI: 10.12034/j.issn.1009-606X.219221 Abstract （1114）      PDF （1758KB）（1006）       Knowledge map    Save As a category of critical raw materials (CRMs), lithium is an indispensable strategic metal during the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) based power batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). Consequently, the demand for lithium has dramatically increased during the last decade along with the rapid development of EVs and HEVs in China. However, the reserves of primary lithium resources such as lithium ores in China are scarce, and their corresponding external dependence is higher than 70%. As a result, the primary lithium resources can hardly satisfy the ever-increasing market demand, and the contradiction between supply and demand in becoming more and more obvious. Therefore, recovery of lithium from the spent LIBs in an efficient and environment-friendly manner will become a vital supplement for primary lithium resources in the future, which is also very important for avoiding the secondary pollution risk to the ecological environment and human health. The hydrometallurgical processes are characterized as higher recycling efficiency, higher purity of the obtained product and lower energy consumption. In this work, the recent progress of lithium extraction from spent LIBs mainly based on hydrometallurgical processes was reviewed. In the process of pretreatment, leaching, separation and purification of lithium, the main methods and their corresponding advantages and disadvantages were emphasized. Finally, some suggestions were put forward, such as further strengthening the research and development on related technologies and processes of selective extraction of lithium, and cleaner utilization of full components of the spent LIBs. In addition, the development tendency of recycling processes for the spent LIBs was prospected, which can provide research directions and alternative solutions for the spent LIBs recycling in the academic, industrial and administrative sectors. Related Articles | Metrics Select Research progress and current status of all-solid-state lithium battery Lujing LIU Zhijun JIA Qiang GUO Yi WANG Tao QI The Chinese Journal of Process Engineering    2019, 19 (5): 900-909.   DOI: 10.12034/j.issn.1009-606X.218331 Abstract （1185）      PDF （1200KB）（927）       Knowledge map    Save Organic liquids are usually used as electrolytes in lithium-ion batteries, which are poor in safety and easy to burn and explode. In the all-solid-state lithium battery (ASSB), all solid electrolytes are applied instead of the traditional organic liquid electrolytes. Compared with lithium-ion batteries, ASSBs have the advantages of wide electrochemical window, high energy density and safety. They are potential chemical power sources in electric vehicles and large-scale energy storage applications. At present, there are more than 20 manufacturing companies, start-up companies and university research institutes around the world dedicated to ASSB technology. Main purpose is to seek a breakthrough in material preparation technology, including the preparation of electrode materials as well as the technology which can enable the positive and negative electrodes match well with the solid electrolyte materials. In this review, the research progress of ASSB technology and key materials, especially all-solid electrolyte materials, as well as the control and mechanism of electrode/electrolyte interface were introduced, and the solutions for improving solid/solid interface compatibility and reducing interface impedance were provided. Among them, solid electrolyte materials with high ionic conductivity, such as PEO-based polymer electrolyte, NASICON and Garnet oxide electrolyte and sulfide electrolyte were detailed presented. This work also provided the current mainstream positive and negative electrode materials, ASSB design and current patent application status. Based on that, the main problems faced by ASSBs were briefly discussed, such as the lower electrical conductivity of solid electrolytes, poor battery rate, as well as the solid interface problems of electrode/electrolyte, including high interface impedance, poor interface stability, and interface stress changes, which could lead to the poor circulation life of ASSBs. The application status and future development trend of ASSBs were summarized and prospected from the perspective of industrial applications, which gave the future research directions and solutions. This review provided a favorable basis for the comprehensive understanding of the development of ASSBs.Key learning points (1) The potential solid electrolyte materials for large-scale industrial applications include NASICON, Garnet oxide electrolyte, sulfide electrolyte and polymer electrolyte, etc. (2) The study of solid/solid electrolyte (solid/solid) interface has not reached the level of solid/liquid electrolyte (solid/liquid) interface. Problems such as large interface impedance, poor interface stability, and interface stress change have not been solved. (3) It is urgent to develop new positive and negative electrode materials with high energy and stability, and to determine the best combination of electrode materials and solid electrolytes. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics Select Congratulations on Professor Yi Zhang's 80th birthday Suojiang ZHANG The Chinese Journal of Process Engineering    2019, 19 (S1): 1-2.   DOI: 10.12034/j.issn.1009-606X.219002 Abstract （1304）      PDF （383KB）（517）       Knowledge map    Save 今年6月11日，是张懿院士八十大寿，值此之际，中国科学院过程工程研究所经由《过程工程学报》为张懿院士发行《绿色制造的全过程污染控制》专刊，本专刊特邀多名资源、环境领域知名专家精心撰写论文，以贺张懿院士八十华诞。 Related Articles | Metrics Select Technical progress of green high-value utilization of strategic rare metal resources Tao QI Weijing WANG Guangye WEI Zhaowu ZHU Jingkui QU Lina WANG Hui ZHANG The Chinese Journal of Process Engineering    2019, 19 (S1): 10-24.   DOI: 10.12034/j.issn.1009-606X.219142 Abstract （1002）      PDF （803KB）（825）       Knowledge map    Save Focus on resource shortage, environmental pollution, and low grade products, the major national demands of China's rare metal resources such as vanadium, titanium, nickel, cobalt, and lithium, in the era of rapid development of strategic emerging industries were summarized, and the major progress and achievements of this field in recent years through upgrading and reforming the utilization technology of vanadium-bearing titanomagnetite, laterite nickel ore, and high magnesium content brine were reviewed. The main conclusion was that: (1) Unconventional medium strengthening methods such as coal-based sodium salt smelting, high temperature carbonization?low temperature chlorination, and oxidation of sub-molten salt were the core of achieving green high-value utilization of vanadium and titanium in vanadium-titanium magnetite. (2) The hydrochloric acid leaching?low temperature selective hydrolysis?coprecipitation process was an advanced representative technology which can shortly achieve the high-efficiency and high-value utilization of all components of the laterite nickel ore with low cost. (3) Double-functional synergistic system was the key to realize the green utilization of lithium extraction and stripping from high magnesium content brine. Based on the two ideas of solid waste recycling and waste reduction at source, the utilization technology of strategic metal resources at the present stage had preliminarily solved the problems of environmental pollution and low utilization rate of resources, but there were still common problems such as the lack of basic principles of green utilization of resources and low scientific technological content of products. At the end of this work, the frontier research direction of green high-value utilization of rare metal resources guided by strategic industrial key materials was prospected, e.g. basic research on the application and value-increment of rare metal. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics Select Development trend and prospect of green separation technology Huizhou LIU Xiaoping LIU Xin CHEN Chao ZHANG Liangrong YANG The Chinese Journal of Process Engineering    2019, 19 (S1): 25-34.   DOI: 10.12034/j.issn.1009-606X.219145 Abstract （927）      PDF （2332KB）（484）       Knowledge map    Save Since the beginning of the 21st century, green separation technology has been continuously innovated, new green separation technologies have emerged, and application fields have gradually expanded. This paper uses bibliometric method to research the development trends of seven green separation technologies, and it analyzes the aspects of the paper's output scale, quality of research, disciplinary layout and international cooperation. Besides, the paper compares and analyzes various green separation technologies. The paper aims to compare the strength of China with the developed countries, and provides useful reference for the development of green separation technology, development strategy and discipline policy, scientific research workers to choose scientific research direction, and enterprise investment decision-making. Reference | Related Articles | Metrics