Liebherr automates disassembly of high-voltage battery systems

As they increase in age, degradation processes occur in lithium ion batteries. These processes can lead to a significant reduction in range depending on the battery and vehicle. Most vehicle manufacturers guarantee a service life of at least eight years or 160,000 kilometers with more than 70 percent of the original storage capacity (state-of-health). Some vehicle manufacturers are now even increasing these guarantees. Current studies and long-term tests show that the net capacity after the guarantee period is usually well above the values specified by the manufacturer. Vehicles with a reduced range can still be used for a long time even after the guarantee period has expired. Eventually, however, after a certain number of charging cycles depending on use, lithium-ion batteries will reach a state in which they no longer meet the requirements of the car. The majority of these batteries are recycled and the raw materials are returned to the material cycle for the production of new batteries. Depending on their condition, some of the old batteries could be eligible for reprocessing and reuse in battery-electric vehicles (remanufacturing) or in second-life applications such as stationary battery storage systems. When they have finally reached the end of their useful life, the new EU Battery Regulation stipulates recycling quotas and minimum quantities of reused raw materials in new production. The industry must find the most efficient solutions possible for returning them to the material cycle, especially since the volumes of batteries returned will increase significantly in the future. The aim is to achieve a sustainable, CO₂-neutral battery production along the entire process chain with unlimited reuse of materials in a closed product life cycle. This is intended to minimize waste products and dependence on important primary materials.

The "ZIRKEL" research project, funded by the BMBF, brings together an interdisciplinary consortium from research and industry to explore the entire recycling circular economy of battery systems from the electromobility sector. As part of this project, Liebherr is developing strategies and processes for the automated disassembly of high-voltage battery systems and testing the automation capability of used battery systems. The aim is to recover and recycle the highest possible proportion of raw materials by mechanically disassembling and sorting the components. By removing valuable components or those containing pollutants at an early stage, the cost- and energy-intensive pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical processing of the black mass, i.e. the raw material mixture that remains after mechanical processing of the batteries, is reduced.

In addition to the wide variety of batteries, a number of other challenges exist for an automated disassembly process: used battery systems can be corroded, deformed or damaged. Contaminated components are sometimes difficult for vision systems to detect. Sealants and adhesives or heat-conducting pastes may be difficult or impossible to remove without leaving residues. Risks such as high voltage or hazardous substances must be taken into account. And finally, the disassembly of flexible parts such as cables or cooling hoses is difficult to automate. "In principle, the established assembly process runs in reverse here, but it is many times more complex," explains Viktor Bayrhof, Product Manager for Automation Systems at Liebherr-Verzahntechnik GmbH.