Electrochemical process for recovery of metallic Mn from waste LiMn_(2)O_(4)-based Li-ion batteries in NaCl−CaCl_(2)melts

new method is proposed for the recovery of Mn via the direct electrochemical reduction of LiMn_(2)O_(4) from the waste of lithium-ion batteries in NaCl−CaCl_(2) melts at 750°C.The results show that the LiMn_(2)O_(4) reduction process by the electrochemical method on the coated electrode surface occurs in three steps:Mn(IV)→Mn(III)→Mn(II)→Mn.The products of this electro-deoxidation are CaMn2O4,MnO,(MnO)x(CaO)1−x,and Mn.Metal Mn appears when the electrolytic voltage increases to 2.6 V,which indicates that increasing the voltage may promote the deoxidation reaction process.With the advancement of the three-phase interline(3PI),electric deoxygenation gradually proceeds from the outer area of the crucible to the core.At high voltage,the kinetic process of the reduction reaction is accelerated,which generates double 3PIs at different stages.

Underwater pulsed spark discharge influenced by the relative position between the top of a pin electrode and an insulating tube

Needle-to-plane geometry has been widely investigated and used in underwater pulsed discharges.The position relationship between the needle tip and insulation layer significantly affects the discharge patterns.We carried out experiments on underwater pulsed discharge with the needle tip protruding from,recessing into,and flushing with the insulating tube.The results are as follows.First,underwater pulsed discharge has a strong randomness under the experimental conditions.Different discharge patterns appeared under the same experimental environment.Second,recession into the insulator surface led to a higher probability of occurrence but a lower strength of spark discharge than protrusion.Third,between the needle tip protruding from and recessing into the insulation material,the average speed of propagation of underwater pulsed spark discharge decreased by an order of magnitude.The study shows that the optimum length of needle tip protruding from the insulation layer is 1 mm to obtain a strong underwater pulsed spark discharge.