Patent Application
20250238770
The present disclosure relates to a computer-implemented method for providing plant assignment data usable for processing recycled material, and respective systems, apparatuses, uses or computer elements.
The general background of this disclosure concerns the processing of recycled materials. To date the processing of recycled materials is highly decentralized, i.e. recycled materials and plants for manufacturing new materials are spatially distributed. This makes operation of production processes cumbersome. Hence, there is a need to operate the production processes in a more reliable and flexible way.
Disclosed is a computer-implemented method for providing a recyclate feed content for production of at least one component of a product, the method comprising the steps of:
Disclosed is a computer-implemented method for operating a production process of at least one component of a product, the method comprising the steps of:
Disclosed is a computer-implemented method for operating a production process of at least one component of a product, preferably production of a material, e.g. operating or monitoring and/or controlling a recyclate feed for production of at least one component of a product, preferably production of a material, such as controlling and/or monitoring a precursor feed of at least one virgin precursor and/or at least one recycled precursor, preferably for the production of material, the method comprising the steps of:
Disclosed is a computer-implemented method for monitoring and/or controlling a recyclate feed for production of at least one component of a product, preferably production of a material, the method comprising the steps of:
Disclosed is an apparatus for providing a recyclate feed content for production of at least one component of a product, the apparatus comprising: one or more computing nodes; and one or more computer-readable media having thereon computer-executable instructions that are structured such that, when executed by the one or more computing nodes, cause the apparatus to perform the following steps:
Disclosed is an apparatus for operating a production process, preferably for the production of material, the apparatus comprising: one or more computing nodes; and one or more computer-readable media having thereon computer-executable instructions that are structured such that, when executed by the one or more computing nodes, cause the apparatus to perform the following steps:
Disclosed is an apparatus for operating a production process of at least one component of a product, preferably production of a material, e.g. operating or monitoring and/or controlling a recyclate feed for production of at least one component of a product, preferably production of a material, such as controlling and/or monitoring a precursor feed of at least one virgin precursor and/or at least one recycled precursor, preferably for the production of material, the apparatus comprising: one or more computing nodes; and one or more computer-readable media having thereon computer-executable instructions that are structured such that, when executed by the one or more computing nodes, cause the apparatus to perform the following steps:
Disclosed is an apparatus for monitoring and/or controlling a recyclate feed for production of at least one component of a product, preferably production of a material, the apparatus comprising: one or more processing nodes; and one or more machine-readable media having thereon machine-executable instructions that are structured such that, when executed by the one or more processing nodes, cause the apparatus to perform the following steps:
Further disclosed is the use of the recyclate feed content generated according to any of the methods disclosed herein or with any of the apparatuses disclosed herein to monitor and/or control production of the at least one component of the product, preferably material, further preferred electrode active material, or to determine an environmental emission of the at least one component of the product, preferably material, to be produced or to verify a recycling quota of a product. Further disclosed is a method for using the recyclate feed content generated according to any of the methods disclosed herein or with any of the apparatuses disclosed herein to monitor and/or control production of the at least one component of the product, the method comprising the steps of: providing the recyclate feed content generated according to any of the methods disclosed herein or with any of the apparatuses disclosed herein; generating instructions to monitor and/or control production of the at least one component of the product as provided according to any of the methods disclosed herein or by any of the apparatuses disclosed herein.
Further disclosed is a computer element, such as a computer program or a computer readable storage medium, with instructions, which, when executed by one or more computing node(s) of a computing environment, are configured to carry out steps of any of the methods disclosed herein and/or as provided by any of the apparatuses disclosed herein.
Any disclosure and embodiments described herein relate to methods, systems, uses, apparatuses and computer elements disclosed herein and vice versa. Benefits provided by any of the embodiments and examples provided herein equally apply to all other embodiments and examples and vice versa.
Advantageously the disclosure referred to herein provides an efficient, sustainable and robust way for operating production processes using recyclates. By determining the recyclate feed content, the operation of the production process can be simplified. Through tailoring production inputs via recyclate feed content for precursors, it can be ensured that the output product adheres to emission and performance requirements of the at least one component of the product such as material. In addition, more flexibility may be achieved through tailoring recyclate feed content per precursor and by selecting specific production plants. For some precursors the recyclate feed content may be static, for others it may be dynamic. Where the precursors are dynamic the recyclate feed content per precursor allows to overcome certain recyclate shortages, to adapt the recyclate feed content such that emission and performance requirements are still fulfilled, to adapt the recyclate feed content such that target emissions are reduced or to simply provide maximum recyclate feed content.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an efficient, sustainable and robust way for operating production processes using recyclates. These and other objects, which become apparent upon the following description, are solved by the subject matters of the independent claims. The dependent claims include preferred embodiments of the invention.
Product may denote any end product that contains materials to be recycled. A least one component of the product to be recycled as used herein is to be understood broadly and may include a single component or multiple components of a single product type or multiple product types. The at least one component of the product may include any component, any combination of components or one or more product(s) with one, more or all components.
Recycled precursor as used herein may be understood broadly and may include any material output from the recycling of products such as batteries. The recycled precursor may comprise any constituent of the at least one component of the product to be produced in any form. For instance, the recycled precursor may include one or more constituent(s) to produce new material. The recycled precursor may be derived from any component of the product to be recycled, such as the electrode element, the electrode active material, the anode element, the anode active material, the cathode element, the cathode active material, the separator, the electrolyte, the cell, the module or the like. For instance, recycled precursors may be recycled metals or metal containing precursors to produce electrode active material. For instance, recycled precursors may be recycled transition metals or transition metal containing precursors to produce electrode active material. For instance, recycled precursors may be recycled lithium precursors or recycled lithium containing precursors to produce electrode active material. For instance, recycled precursors may be recycled lithium precursors or recycled lithium containing precursors to produce electrode active material. For instance, recycled precursors may be recycled graphite precursors or recycled graphite containing precursors to produce electrode active material. For instance, recycled precursors may be recycled silicon precursors or recycled silicon containing precursors for the production of electrode active material. The recycled precursors may be provided separately or already in the desired stoichiometries for producing the new product or material. The plant as used herein may be understood broadly and may include any plant producing materials, product components, product materials, component materials or products.
In one embodiment the recycling data includes a recyclate amount of one or more precursor(s), a recyclate quota for one or more precursor(s) and/or a total recyclate feed content for the at least one component of the product. Determining the recyclate feed content for one or more precursor(s) may be determined depending on the recyclate amount of one or more precursor product(s), the recyclate quota for one or more precursor product(s) and/or the total recyclate feed content for the at least one component of the product to be produced. This way the recyclate feed content can be flexible adapted to the requirements in view of recyclates to be included into production of new components or materials.
In another embodiment the method further comprises the step of providing target performance parameter(s) associated with a chemical performance of the component to be produced. Determining the recyclate feed content may include determination of the chemical performance associated with the component to be produced by using the determined recyclate feed content. The chemical performance may be determined for the recyclate feed content. The chemical performance may be checked if it meets the target performance parameter(s). The recyclate feed content may be adapted, if the chemical performance does not meet target performance parameter(s). The recyclate feed content many be provided, for which the chemical performance meets target performance parameter(s). This way an adequate performance of the output product produced with the recycled precursors according to the recyclate feed content can be ensured.
In another embodiment further comprising the step of further comprising the step of providing at least one emission target related to the use of one or more recycled precursor(s) in the production of the at least one component. The recyclate feed content may be determined based on the at least one emission target related to the use of the one or more recycled precursor(s). The at least one emission target may include an emission target per precursor. The at least one emission target may include an emission target relating to raw material precursor(s) and recycled precursor(s). This way the recyclate feed content may be tailored to specific emissions related to raw materials and recycled materials. This allows flexible use of recycled precursors and reduction of emissions related to certain raw or virgin materials.
In another embodiment further comprising the step of providing a total emission target for producing the at least one component, wherein the recyclate feed content is determined based on the total emission target for producing the at least one component. The total emission target may be related to the recyclate feed content and/or the at least one operation property of the production plant. This way the recyclate feed content may be further tailored with respect to the production process for the new component or material. This allows flexible use of recycled precursors and reduction of emissions related to precursor materials as well as production conditions.
In another embodiment operation data includes availability data relating to an availability of one or more recycled precursor(s) for producing the at least one component of the product. The recyclate feed content for one or more recycled precursor(s) may be determined depending on the availability data. The availability data may be derived from product or material identifiers associated with recycled material. The availability data may be derived from tracking of material in recycling chain based on product or material identifiers. The availability data may be derived from tracking of material in the recycling chain through material identifiers. The availability data may be derived from tracking of material amount in the recycling chain through material identifiers. This way the availability of recycled precursors may be easily accessed in a decentral computing environment based on identifier tracking as disclosed herein. The decentral tracking platform allows for reliable production even in environments with highly fragmented recycling material flows.
In another embodiment operation data includes capacity data associated with a capacity of the at least one production plant for producing the component of the product, process data relating to process specifics of the at least one production plant for producing at least one component of the product and/or emission data relating to emissions of the at least one production plant for producing at least one component of the product. In another embodiment further comprising the step of selecting the production plant for producing the at least one component of a product, wherein the selection depends on operation data, preferably process data, capacity data and/or emission data of the production plants. The capacity data of the production plant may relate to a real-time or dynamic capacity allowing for more flexible and reliable production plant selection. The emission data of the production plant may relate to a real-time or dynamic emission allocation allowing for more flexible production plant selection. The process data may relate to real-time or dynamic process specifics allowing for more tailored production plant selection.
In another embodiment further comprising the step of selecting the production plant for producing the at least one component of a product, wherein the selection depends on operation data, at least one emission target, a total emission target and/or the determined recyclate feed content. The production plant meeting the at least one emission target for use of precursor(s) and/or the total emission target for producing the at least one component may be selected. The selection of the production plant may be based on a multidimensional metric defining a distance and/or a threshold measure. The distance and/or a threshold measure may be determined from process data, capacity data, emission data and/or the determined recyclate feed content in relation to the at least one emission target for use of precursor(s) and/or the total emission target for producing the at least one component.
Further comprised may be the step of determining, based on the determined recyclate feed content and/or the selected production plant, operation instructions for controlling a precursor feed of at least one virgin precursor and/or at least one recycled precursor based on the determined recyclate feed content and/or the selected production plant; and providing operation instructions for controlling a precursor feed of at least one virgin precursor and/or at least one recycled precursor. Further comprised may be the step of determining, based on the determined recyclate feed content and the selected production plant, operation instructions for controlling operation of the selected plant; and providing the operation instructions for controlling operation of the selected plant.
In the following, the present disclosure is further described with reference to the enclosed figures:
The following embodiments are mere examples for implementing the methods, the systems or the computer elements disclosed herein and shall not be considered limiting.
The battery 10 may comprise a battery management system 16 and a plurality of battery cells 18 arranged inside a battery housing 20. The battery cells 18 may be arranged in battery packs or modules comprising multiple battery cells 18. The battery cell 10 may comprise an electrolyte 22, an anode element 24, a cathode element 26, and/or a separator 28.
Depending on application, batteries comprise different material compositions for the different components. For instance, the battery may be a lithium-ion battery. The cathode elements 26 may include active material coated on a collector foil such as aluminum or copper foil. Further binders, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and/or carbon as conducting agents may be contained. Cathode active materials may contain layered oxides (LiMO2 with M=Co, Ni, Mn, Al such as LCO (LiCoO2), NCM (LiNixMnyCozO2), NCA (LiNixCoyAlzO2)), spinels (LiM2O4 with M=Mn, Ni such as LMO (LiMnO4)) or phosphates (LiMPO4 with M=Fe, Mn, Co, Ni such as LiFePO4).
The anode element 24 may include anode active material coated on collector foil such as aluminum or copper foil. The active material may contain artificial graphite, natural graphite or compositions thereof. The active material may include silicon, SiO2, lithium titanate (LTO) or combinations thereof. The active material may contain binders such as styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), polymeric thickener like carboxylmethyl cellulose (CMC) and carbonates as conducting agent.
The electrolytes may comprise salts, solvents and additives such as carbonates, esters or ethers to provide conductivity. Mixtures of cyclic carbonates such as ethylene carbonate (EC) or propylene carbonate (PC) with open chained carbonates such as dimethyl carbonate (DMC) may be included. As conducting salt lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6), lithium bis(trifluormethyl)sulfonylimid (LiTFSI) and its derivates (e.g., lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl) imide (LiFSI)) or lithium [tris(pentafluorethyl)-trifluorphosphate] (LiFAP), lithium 4,5-dicyano-2-trifluoromethyl-imidazolide (LiTDI), lithium bis(oxalate)borate (LiBOB)), ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC), and/or diethyl carbonate (DEC) may be used.
Separators may divide the space between the electrodes and are permeable for ions. Separator types include: microporous membranes, ceramic-coated separators, non-woven mats, solid inorganic or polymeric electrolytes. Polyolefin-based membranes coated e.g., with PVDF or ceramics may be used.
The battery identification element 12, 14 may be physically associated with the battery 10. The identification element 12, 14 may be physically attached to the battery housing or be part of the battery management system 16. The identification element 12, 14 may be arranged inside or outside the battery housing 20. The identification element 12, 14 may be a passive identification element 14. The passive element 14 may be arranged on the outer surface of the battery housing 20. The passive element 14 may be based on markers embedded into the material. The passive element 14 may include a printed code such as a bar code or a QR code. The identification element 12, 14 may be an active identification element 14. The active element 14 may be a transmitter or transceiver tag, such as an RFID tag enabling communication through e.g. NFC, Bluethoth, Zigbee or other suitable near-to mid-range communication protocols. The identification element 14 may be part of the battery management system 16 e.g. the digital product identifier may be stored in the battery management system 16 and may be retrieved from the battery management system through communication protocols such as NFC, Bluethoth, Zigbee or other suitable near-to mid-range communication protocols.
The battery identification element 12, 14 may be associated with a digital battery identifier or digital product identifier. The digital product identifier may be unique for the battery. The digital product identifier may be further associated with data relating to the battery identified. Such data may include any data collected during the production or lifetime of the battery 10. For instance, such data may include material data such as material configuration data collected during production of the battery or monitoring data collected during use of the battery may be by associated with the digital battery identifier. Data relating to the battery identified or part(s) thereof may relate to or include the material configuration data. The material configuration data may be controlled by one or more material producer(s) e.g. via authentication and/or authorization mechanisms. The material configuration data may be controlled by the one or more material producer(s). The one or more material producer(s) may provide respective material configuration data for access by participant nodes of the decentral computing environment. Data relating to the battery or part(s) thereof may be stored in data bases associated with participant nodes of the decentral computing environment, in particular associated with producers of the battery, the components or the material or users of the battery. The participant node(s) storing the data relating to the battery identified or part(s) thereof may provide access to other participant node(s) e.g. via peer-to-peer communication including authentication and/or authorization mechanisms. The data relating to the battery identified or parts thereof may relate to or include the material configuration data associated with the cathode element, such as the cathode active material, the anode element, the separator and/or the electrolyte. For example, the material configuration data may be associated with the electrode active material. Such data may be provided by the material producer for access by participant node(s) of the decentral computing environment, e.g. via peer-to-peer communication including authentication and/or authorization mechanisms.
The digital product identifier may include or be associated with at least one decentral identifier. The decentral identifier may comprise any unique identifier uniquely associated with the data owner and the identified battery 10. Including a data point may relate to a data package including such data point and/or data digitally linked to or in any way associated with the data point to virtually or digitally form a data package. The decentral identifier may comprise any unique identifier uniquely associated with the data relating to the battery identified, such as material configuration data, and the identified battery 10. The decentral identifier may include or associated with one or more Universally Unique Identifier(s) (UUID) or one or more Digital Identifier(s) (DID). The decentral identifier may be issued by a central or decentral identity issuer. The decentral identifier may include authentication information for authentication of the data relating to the identified battery. Via the decentral identifier and its unique association with the battery 10 identified access to the data relating to the identified battery may be controlled by at least one data owner. This contrasts with central authority schemes, where identifiers are provided by central authority and access to data is controlled by such central authority. Decentral in this context refers to the usage of the identifier as controlled by any data owner. The data may be hosted in a database associated or under control of the data owner. The identification element 12, 14 may be configured to provide the digital product identifier for accessing data relating to the identified battery.
The decentral identifier may include one or more identifier(s) used in the decentral computing environment and allowing for data exchange via the decentral computing environment, such as the peer-to-peer communication channel. Data exchange may include discovery of the decentral identifier for participant nodes of the decentral computing environment, authentication of participant nodes of the decentral computing environment and/or authorization of data transfers via a peer-to-peer communication between participant nodes of the decentral computing environment.
The data owner may comprise any entity generating data, particularly data relating to the battery identified. The generating node may be coupled to the entity owning physical products from or for which data, particularly, the data relating to the battery identified, is generated. The data, particularly the data relating to the battery identified, may be generated by a third-party entity on behalf of the entity owning physical products from or for which data is generated. The data owner may be the producer of the material, component contained in the battery or the battery, such as the material producer, the component producer or product producer. Via the decentral identifier and its unique association with the data owner and data relating to the battery identified access to the respective data may be controlled by the data owner. The data relating to the battery identified may be accessible for the data owner. The data owner may hence directly or indirectly own or control the data relating to the battery identified. The data relating to the battery identified may be stored in a data base of or associated with the data owner. The data relating to the battery identified may be stored in a data base accessible by the data owner. The data owner may control access to the data relating to the battery identified via the data providing service of the data owner. The data owner may control access to the data relating to the battery identified. The data relating to the battery identified may be associated with the data owner. The data owner may be the owner or controller of the data relating to the battery identified or the data relating to the battery identified owner. The data relating to the battery identified may be stored in a data base of or under control by the data owner. In this sense, the data owner may relate to the entity having access to the data relating to the battery identified or parts thereof and controlling access by data consuming services of the decentral computing environment to the data relating to the battery identified or parts thereof.
In particular, the digital product identifier may relate to the material configuration data specifying the material configuration of one or more component(s) of the battery. The digital product identifier may be associated with the battery 10 and the material configuration data may specify the material configuration of one or more component(s) of the battery 10.
The battery component 30 may include one or more sub-components of the battery 10. The sub-component may include the battery management system 16, the battery housing 20, the battery module or pack with a plurality of battery cells 22, the battery cell 22 or combinations of such sub-components. The battery component identification element 32, 34 may be associated with the battery component 30. The identification element 32, 34 may be physically attached to the battery component 30. The identification element 32, 34 may be arranged inside or outside the battery component 30. The identification element 32, 34 may be a passive or an active identification element 32, 34 as described in the context of
In this example, the peripheral computing nodes 101.1 to 101.n may be connected to one central computing system (or server). In another example, the peripheral computing nodes 101.1 to 101.n may be attached to the central computing node via e.g. a terminal server (not shown). The majority of functions may be carried out by, or obtained from the central computing node (also called remote central location). One peripheral computing node 101.n has been expanded to provide an overview of the components present in the peripheral computing node. The central computing node 101 may comprise the same components as described in relation to the peripheral computing node 101.n.
Each computing node 101, 101.1 to 101.n may include at least one hardware processor 102 and memory 104. The term “processor” may include an arbitrary logic circuitry configured to perform basic operations of a computer or system, and/or, generally, to a device which is configured for performing calculations or logic operations. In particular, the processor, or computer processor may be configured for processing basic instructions that drive the computer or system. It may be a semi-conductor based processor, a quantum processor, or any other type of processor configures for processing instructions. As an example, the processor may be or may comprise a Central Processing Unit (“CPU”). The processor may be a (“GPU”) graphics processing unit, (“TPU”) tensor processing unit, (“CISC”) Complex Instruction Set Computing microprocessor, Reduced Instruction Set Computing (“RISC”) microprocessor, Very Long Instruction Word (“VLIW”) microprocessor, or a processor implementing other instruction sets or processors implementing a combination of instruction sets. The processing means may also be one or more special-purpose processing devices such as an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (“ASIC”), a Field Programmable Gate Array (“FPGA”), a Complex Programmable Logic Device (“CPLD”), a Digital Signal Processor (“DSP”), a network processor, or the like. The methods, systems and devices described herein may be implemented as software in a DSP, in a micro-controller, or in any other side-processor or as hardware circuit within an ASIC, CPLD, or FPGA. It is to be understood that the term processor may also include one or more processing devices, such as a distributed system of processing devices located across multiple computer systems (e.g., cloud computing), and is not limited to a single device unless otherwise specified.
The memory 104 may include a physical system memory, which may be volatile, non-volatile, or a combination thereof. The memory may include non-volatile mass storage such as physical storage media. The memory may be a computer-readable storage media such as RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM, or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices, non-magnetic disk storage such as solid-state disk or any other physical and tangible storage medium which can be used to store desired program code means in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures and which can be accessed by the computing system. Moreover, the memory may be a computer-readable media that carries computer-executable instructions (also called transmission media). Further, upon reaching various computing system components, program code means in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures can be transferred automatically from transmission media to storage media (or vice versa). For example, computer-executable instructions or data structures received over a network or data link can be buffered in RAM within a network interface module (e.g., a “NIC”), and then eventually transferred to computing system RAM and/or to less volatile storage media at a computing system. Thus, it should be understood that storage media can be included in computing components that also (or even primarily) utilize transmission media.
The computing nodes 101, 101.1 . . . 101.n may include multiple structures 106 often referred to as an “executable component, executable instructions, computer-executable instructions or instructions”. For instance, memory 104 of the computing nodes 101, 101.1 . . . 101.n may be illustrated as including executable component 106. The term “executable component” or any equivalent thereof may be the name for a structure that is well understood to one of ordinary skill in the art in the field of computing as being a structure that can be software, hardware, or a combination thereof or which can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination. For instance, when implemented in software, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the structure of an executable component includes software objects, routines, methods, and so forth, that is executed on the computing nodes 101, 101.1 . . . 101.n, whether such an executable component exists in the heap of a computing node 101, 101.1 . . . 101.n, or whether the executable component exists on computer-readable storage media. In such a case, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the structure of the executable component exists on a computer-readable medium such that, when interpreted by one or more processors of a computing node 101, 101.1 . . . 101.n (e.g., by a processor thread), the computing node 101, 101.1 . . . 101n is caused to perform a function. Such a structure may be computer-readable directly by the processors (as is the case if the executable component were binary). Alternatively, the structure may be structured to be interpretable and/or compiled (whether in a single stage or in multiple stages) so as to generate such binary that is directly interpretable by the processors. Such an understanding of example structures of an executable component is well within the understanding of one of ordinary skill in the art of computing when using the term “executable component”. Examples of executable components implemented in hardware include hardcoded or hard-wired logic gates, that are implemented exclusively or near-exclusively in hardware, such as within a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or any other specialized circuit. In this description, the terms “component”, “agent”, “manager”, “service”, “engine”, “module”, “virtual machine” or the like are used synonymous with the term “executable component.
The processor 102 of each computing node 101, 101.1 . . . 101.n may direct the operation of each computing node 101, 101.1 . . . 101.n in response to having executed computer-executable instructions that constitute an executable component. For example, such computer-executable instructions may be embodied on one or more computer-readable media that form a computer program product. The computer-executable instructions may be stored in the memory 104 of each computing node 101, 101.1 . . . 101.n. Computer-executable instructions comprise, for example, instructions and data which, when executed at a processor 101, cause a general purpose computing node 101, 101.1 . . . 101.n, special purpose computing node 101, 101.1 . . . 101.n, or special purpose processing device to perform a certain function or group of functions. Alternatively or in addition, the computer-executable instructions may configure the computing node 101, 101.1 . . . 101.n to perform a certain function or group of functions. The computer executable instructions may be, for example, binaries or even instructions that undergo some translation (such as compilation) before direct execution by the processors, such as intermediate format instructions such as assembly language, or even source code.
Each computing node 101, 101.1 . . . 101.n may contain communication channels 108 that allow each computing node 101.1 . . . 101.n to communicate with the central computing node 101, for example, a network (depicted as solid line between peripheral computing nodes and the central computing node). A “network” may be defined as one or more data links that enable the transport of electronic data between computing nodes 101, 101.1 . . . 101.n and/or modules and/or other electronic devices. When information is transferred or provided over a network or another communications connection (either hardwired, wireless, or a combination of hardwired or wireless) to a computing node 101, 101.1 . . . 101.n, the computing node 101, 101.1 . . . 101.n properly views the connection as a transmission medium. Transmission media can include a network and/or data links which can be used to carry desired program code means in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computing nodes 101, 101.1 . . . 101.n. Combinations of the above may also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.
The computing node(s) 101, 101.1 to 101.n may further comprise a user interface system 110 for use in interfacing with a user. The user interface system 110 may include output mechanisms 110A as well as input mechanisms 110B. The principles described herein are not limited to the precise output mechanisms 110A or input mechanisms 110B as such will depend on the nature of the device. However, output mechanisms 110A might include, for instance, displays, speakers, displays, tactile output, holograms and so forth. Examples of input mechanisms 110B might include, for instance, microphones, touchscreens, holograms, cameras, keyboards, mouse or other pointer input, sensors of any type, and so forth.
Referring back to
In the example, a data providing service 304 including a data retrieval system 308 and a connector 310 is sharing material data 316 with a data consuming service 306 including a data retrieval system 312 and a connector 314 via a decentral network protocol. The data providing service 304 and the data consuming service 306 are associated with network nodes or computing nodes of the network. The data providing service 304 and the data consuming service 306 are associated with local data bases 320a, 320b, which are controlled by the respective participant nodes.
Data relating to the battery identified or part(s) thereof may be provided or made accessible in association with material, component and/or battery 302 depending on the identifier for such data. The material, component and/or battery 302 may be related to the digital identifier. The digital identifier may include one or more decentral identifier(s) such as described e.g. in the context of
Upon reading the identifier element via reader element 308 as e.g. described in
The battery identifier may include or relate to a decentral identifier(s), that is uniquely associated with the battery identified. Similarly, the identifier(s) may relate to components or materials of the battery. The decentral identifier may include one or more Universally Unique Identifier(s) (UUID) or a Digital Identifier(s) (DID). The decentral identifier may include any unique identifier(s) uniquely associated with a data owner, battery, component and/or material. The data owner may be the producer of the battery, component or material. Via the decentral identifier and its unique association with the data owner battery, component and/or material access to the battery data may or part(s) thereof may be controlled by the data owner.
The decentral identifier(s) may be connected to the digital representation of the battery data associated with the battery, component(s) contained in the battery or material(s) contained in the battery. The digital representation may include a representation for accessing the battery data or part(s) thereof, such as material data or material configuration data as may be provided by the material producer. The digital representation(s) of battery data or part(s) thereof may be stored in a decentral data base (not shown). The battery data or part(s) thereof, such as material data or material configuration data, may be stored in a local data base associated with the data owner, such as the producer of the material, component or battery.
The battery 10 may be associated with or be related to a digital representation(s) of the battery data or part(s) thereof associated with the battery, component(s) of the battery and/or material(s) contained in the battery or its components. The digital representation(s) may relate to the respective digital identifier of the battery 10, the component and/or material contained in the battery 10 or its component(s). The digital representation(s) may point or be linked or provide a link to battery data or part(s) thereof, such as component(s) of the battery and/or material(s) contained in the battery or its components. The digital representation(s) may comprise at least one interface to the data providing service 304 configured to make the respective battery data or part(s) thereof accessible or to transfer the respective battery data or part(s) thereof. The digital representation(s) may include at least one interface to the data consuming service configured to access the respective battery data or part(s) thereof or to receive the respective battery data or part(s) thereof. The digital representation may include an endpoint for data exchange or sharing (resource endpoint) or an endpoint for service interaction (service eEndpoint), that is uniquely identified via a communication protocol. The digital representation(s) pointing to data related to the battery or parts thereof may hence be uniquely associated with the decentral identifier(s).
Upon providing the identifier(s), the representation pointing to the respective data, e.g. material data or material configuration data, may be provided to the data consuming service 306 e.g. via a decentral registry. In the example of material configuration data, which shall not be considered limiting, the material configuration data may be stored in a data base 310 associated with the material producer or provider. The data consuming service 306 associated with the reader 308 may request access to such data from the data providing service 304 of the material producer or provider. Authentication and/or authorization information linked to the identifier(s) may be shared to authenticate and/or authorize access from the data consuming service 306 to the data provided by the data providing service 304. The authentication and/or authorization information may be provided for authentication and/or authorization of the data providing service 304 and/or data consuming service 306.
In one embodiment the data related to the battery of part(s) thereof points or is linked or includes a link to material configuration data or parts thereof. In one embodiment the data related to the battery of part(s) thereof includes one or more digital representation(s) pointing, linking or providing the link to battery data or material data or part(s) thereof stored in a local data base e.g. of the material provider. In this context pointing, linking or link means any network representation or address that is suitable for accessing the data related to the battery of part(s) thereof that is stored in a local data base. The data related to the battery of part(s) thereof may include multiple digital representations pointing, linking or providing the links to distinct parts of the battery data. The data related to battery may include multiple digital representations pointing, linking or providing the links to different parts of the battery data. Such different parts may overlap in some data points. The representation may include an access point to the battery data, a link to access battery data, an endpoint to access battery data and/or a service endpoint to access battery data. This way the battery data can be maintained and controlled by a data owner. Access can be provided via the representation of an access point simplifying data verification, integrity checks or quality checks and access control, since not multiple distributed data points need to be checked and access controlled. The battery data may be stored in the data base 320 of or associated with the data owner. The battery data may be stored in a data base 320 accessible by the data owner. The digital representation pointing, linking or providing the link to battery data or part(s) thereof may be associated with or relate to any such data base associated with or accessible by the data owner. For enhanced security the digital representation pointing to battery data or part(s) thereof may indirectly relate to any such data base associated with or accessible by the data owner.
Similar to the access and transfer of data as described above for the example of material configuration data, other data may be shared securely in decentral networks between different nodes associated with different players in the network. Any data provided in the different methods, embodiments, systems described may be provided by nodes of the decentral network.
An at least partially decentral structure based on decentral identifiers allows for novel methods, apparatuses, systems, computer elements, computer executable instructions and their uses in the product recycling process, which will be described in the following.
Material identifier package(s) may include digital identifiers associated with products to be recycled such as batteries. By bundling digital identifiers according to associated material configuration, the products to be recycled, in particular the batteries, may be bundled physically by material configuration, which is otherwise not easily accessible from the physical product, in particular the battery. This way physical products such as batteries can be virtually or digitally bundled such that the recycling process can be executed more efficiently. To do so collecting, sorting and/or transporting instructions may be derived based on the material identifier package(s) to also physically bundle the respective products, in particular batteries, according to their material configuration and simplify recycling processes.
Product identifiers associated with products to be recycled may be provided. Such data may be provided e.g. as described in the context of
Based on the product identifiers material data such as material configuration data may be accessed as e.g. described in the context of
The material data may include material configuration data associated with at least one component of the product 10. The material configuration data may signify the material configuration of one or more component(s) of the product 10. The material configuration may include the material type, the material properties, and/or the chemical composition of at least one component of the product 10. Material type may include plastic, metal containing materials, polymer containing materials, composite materials as e.g. used in products 10 or in intermediate products, raw materials or by-products when producing products 10, but are not limited thereto. Material properties may include physical material properties, e.g. thermodynamic, mechanic, electrodynamic, optic and acoustic material properties, and/or chemical material properties, e.g. standard electrode potential and electronegativity, but are not limited thereto. The chemical composition may relate to one or more constituents and their amounts. The term component of a product 10 may include all components included in a product 10, e.g. cathode element 26 or anode element 24. For example, material configuration data may provide the cell chemistry such as cathode active material Al, Li, Co, Ni in percentage, anode active material such as graphite, composition electrolyte such as conducting salts or solvent, separators or other materials contained in the battery cells.
The material configuration data may be associated with one component, such as the electrode element 26 or the cathode active material for the example of a battery. In such an example the material configuration may specify the chemical composition of the cathode active material. Examples are material configurations based on Lithium Nickel Manganese (NCM-type) such as Lithium Nickel Cobalt Manganese Oxide (LiNiCoMnO2), Lithium Iron Phosphate (LPF-type) such as Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4/C), Lithium Nickel Manganese (LMNO-type) such as Lithium Nickel Manganese Spinel (LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4), Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminium (NCA-type) such as Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminium Oxide (LiNiCoAlO2), Lithium Manganese (LMO-type) such as Lithium Manganese Oxide (LiMn2O4), Lithium Cobalt (LCO-type) such as Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LiCoO2) or combinations thereof. The material configuration data may be associated with the anode element 24 or the anode active material. In such an embodiment the material configuration may signify the chemical composition of the anode active material. Examples are natural graphite, artificial graphite, other graphite types or combinations thereof. The material configuration data may be associated with the electrolyte 22, the separator 28, the cell 18 or module packaging, the housing 20, or the like. For example, material configuration data may provide the cell chemistry such as cathode active material Al, Li, Co, Ni in percentage, anode active material such as graphite, composition electrolyte such as conducting salts or solvent, separators or other materials contained in the battery cells.
As illustrated in
Based on the material configuration data associated with the product identifiers, at least one material configuration that is processable by at least one recycling plant may be determined to provide material identifier package. As for example illustrated in
In one example a matching logic may be used to determine material identifier packages related to material configurations processable by at least one recycling plant. Such matching may be based on the material configuration of one or more component(s). For matching multiple algorithms reaching from search algorithms to data driven classification models may be employed.
For instance, the matching may be conducted by chemical composition of components. For matching classification instructions may be provided. Such classification instructions may be pre-defined or dynamically adjustable. E.g. material configurations A, B, C may be pre-defined by at least parts of the chemical composition of one component such as specifying electrolyte composition, anode active material composition, cathode active material composition. A matching scheme may in principle look as follows.
Matching based on one component for the example of a battery
For multiple components the material configurations A, B, C may be pre-defined by specifying at least in part the composition of multiple components. E.g. for the example of a battery the composition such as housing composition, electrolyte composition, anode composition and cathode composition or the composition of any other component may be pre-defined. A matching scheme may in principle look as follows.
Matching based on more components for the example of a battery
In another example matching may be conducted by chemical composition of classes. Such matching may be based on the material configuration of one or more component(s). For instance, a search may be conducted by chemical composition. For searching classification instructions may be provided. Such classification instructions may be pre-defined or dynamically adjustable. E.g. material configurations A, B, C may be pre-defined by at least in part the chemical composition of one component such as for the example of a battery specifying electrolyte composition, anode composition, cathode composition. E.g. material configurations A, B, C may be pre-defined by at least partial component composition specifying housing composition, electrolyte composition, anode composition and cathode composition and the composition of any other component. A searching scheme may in principle look as follows.
Once the matching or searching is done, products or components that are processable by the recycling plant may be identified through their identifier associated with the respective material configuration. Such packages of product or component identifiers may be assigned to the recycling plant by providing recycling plant data associated with recycling plants capable of processing such material packages.
In another example an advanced logic may be used. Such advanced logic may be based on the material configuration data of one or more component(s) and recycling plant data. For instance, recycling plant data may include a recycling plant identifier and a specification of one or more material configuration(s) processable by the recycling plant performing at least one recycling process for one or more material configuration(s). This way the classification based on material configuration data may be directly related to a specific recycling plant. Respective, classification instructions may be provided that include the material configuration data of one or more component(s) and recycling plant data.
Based on the determination of the material identifier package the material identifier package and associated product identifiers may be provided. Material identifier package may hence include a collection of product identifiers that are associated with one or more material configuration(s) processable together in the recycling plant. A package identifier may be generated to by uniquely associated with such package. The product identifiers associated with at least one material configuration processable together may be linked to the package identifier. The package identifier may hence be associated with the products or product components that are processable together by at least one recycling plant or process. Material identifier package including the package identifier and/or the package of product identifiers may be provided. In addition, material identifier package may include the material configuration(s) related to the package identifier or the package of battery identifiers. Material identifier package may include plant identifier(s) per package identifier or package of battery identifiers signifying the recycling plant the products or product components are to be processed.
Optionally the material identifier package may be used to generate and provide sorting and/or collection instructions as described in more detail in the context of
Further optionally the material identifier package may be used to generate and provide transport and/or storing instructions as described in more detail in the context of
One or more product identifiers, such as battery identifiers, and associated material configuration data may be provided e.g. as described in the context of
Material classification instructions may be provided that classify the identifiers of one or more component(s) of the product, in particular battery, with respect to material type/characteristic or chemical composition. For the battery for instance, this may include classification by material configuration for one or more component(s) of the battery to be recycled. In one option the classification of material configuration classes A, B, C may be related to multiple components such as:
In another option the classification of material configuration classes A, B, C may be related to selected component(s) subject to recycling:
Products or components may be classified by material configuration data by way of classification instructions. Material identifier package including number of products or components per class may be determined and provided. Products or components may be classified based on their identifier, associated material configuration data and the provided material classification instructions. Based on the classified product identifiers the amount of material may be determined e.g. by number of products or components and/or by the amount of material to be recycled e.g. by component.
Plant identifiers may be provided in conjunction with operation data such as capacity data, process data and/or location data. Operation data may be associated with the plant identifiers and include capacity data, process data and/or material data or material classification instructions. The classified amount, number and/or composition of products or components based on classified component or product identifier(s) may be matched to plant identifiers based on capacity, process specifics and/or location of the recycling plant. One plant identifier may be selected and provided based on the classified number, amount and/or composition of the package with respective product identifiers or component identifiers or package identifier. Product or component identifiers of one or more material classification(s) may be assigned to the recycling plant. Assignment may be based on pant capacity, process specifics, material configuration and/or material classification. Operation data may be static data relating to general specifications of a plant or it may be dynamic relating to current specifications of the plant. The latter allows for real time perspective on capacities, process data and/or material data. Plants can be matched based on real-time information allowing for more efficient and targeted use of plant resources in the recycling process. The material packages may be physically gathered by sorting, collecting, storing and/or transporting instructions based on packages of product identifiers or component identifiers or the package identifier and potentially the plant identifier as e.g. described in the context of
Collecting, sorting, storing and/or transport instructions for collector system, sorting system, storing system and/or transporting system may be generated and provided. Sorting instructions may be determined based on the material identifier package with the package of product identifiers or component identifiers or the package identifier. The sorting instructions may relate product identifiers or component identifiers provided by a sensor reading the product or component identifier element to material configuration(s) processable together, such as processable by at least one recycling plant. Such relation may include using classification instructions providing material configuration(s) processable together, such as processable by at least one plant. Such relation may include using classification instructions relating the material configuration(s) processable together to at least one plant identifier. The sorting instructions may relate product identifiers or component identifiers provided by a sensor reading the product or component identifier element to product identifiers or component identifiers comprised in the material identifier package. The sorting instructions may be provided to a sorting system for sorting products or components to be recycled. The sorting system may be controlled and/or monitored based on such instructions. In some embodiments classification instructions may be provided to the sorting system configured to read product or component identifiers from products or components and to classify such identifiers for sorting the products or components. Such sorting allows for a simple and efficient sorting, since the logic for sorting may be implemented in the at least partially decentral computing environment and the sorting system may be based on a reading element combined with sorting hardware, such as a robot.
As illustrated in
Alternatively or additionally, collecting instructions based on the material identifier package may be determined. The collecting instructions may relate product identifiers or component identifiers provided by a sensor reading a product or component identifier element to material configuration(s) processable together, such as processable by at least one recycling plant. Such relation may include using classification instructions providing material configuration(s) processable together, such as processable by at least one plant. Such relation may include using classification instructions relating the material configuration(s) processable together to at least one plant identifier. Further collection point data signifying the collection point of the at least on component of the product may be provided. The collection point data may be included in the material identifier package. This way products or components may be sorted by targeted collection and simultaneously sorting may be realized on collection simplifying the recycling process.
As illustrated in
The collector system may be configured to collect products or components and provide product or component identifiers for classification by material class. The classified product or component identifiers may be provided to a sorting system. Such providing may be directly from the collector system to the sorting system or indirectly via computing environment to the sorting system. The collector system may be configured to collect products or components and configured to classify product or component identifiers by material configuration, to store associated identifiers and to provide product or component identifiers per material class e.g. to the sorting system. The product or component identifiers associated with one classification may be provided to the sorting system. The sorting system may be configured to sort collected products or components associated with one or more class(es). The sorting system may be configured to provide identifiers for classification by material configuration and to sort products or components based on the material configuration. The product or component IDs associated with one material classification may be provided by a collector system or computing environment.
Additionally or alternatively, transport instructions may be generated. Collection point data signifying the collection point of the product or the at least on component of the product may be provided. The collection point data may be included in the material identifier package. Transport instructions based on the collection point data and plant location data or storage location data may be determined. Based on such data one or more transport route(s) may be determined. The collection point data may signify the starting point for transport and the plant location data may signify the destination point of the transport route. Such transport route may be provided to a transport system such as an autonomous vehicle or a user interface like a display.
Additionally or alternatively, storing instructions based on capacity data and the number of products or components with material configuration processable together may be determined. The amount of material or number of products or components per class or sub class may be determined based on the material classification. The amount of material may be provided to a storage system for managing the storage of products or components and/or to a transport system for transporting the products or components or to computing environment. The storage instructions may be provided to a storage management system or as transport instructions to the transport system.
A recycling run for recycled material may be scheduled by providing package identifier(s) to the plant operation system with plant identifier. The sorting, collection, storing and/or transporting instructions may be provided to the recycling plant operation system. A recycling run may be scheduled for the respective package or class of products or components by providing the package of product or component identifiers or the package identifiers to the recycling plant operation system. The assigned identifiers may be provided to the recycling plant operation system indicated by the recycling plant identifier in conjunction with material identifier package for scheduling recycling run.
Recycled material data as illustrated in the examples of
Recycled material identifier and corresponding recycled material data associated with the recycled material may be provided. The recycled material identifier may relate to one or more product or component identifier(s) and corresponding material configuration data of the products recycled to provide the recycled material. The recycled material data may be provided by computer-executable instructions running in an at least partially decentral or decentral computing environment, wherein the computer-executable instructions access the recycled material data of the recycled material based on the recycled material identifier. The material configuration data may be provided by the computing node of the decentral computing environment associated with the producer producing or using the material, such as the material producer. The material configuration data may be provided as part of the recycling material data. The material configuration data may be provided by product identifiers included in the recycling material data and by accessing material configuration data via the product identifiers. The recycling material data may include the material composition of the recycled material as determined based on or on generation of the material identifier package. For access to recycled material data, the recycled material data provider may include one or more recycling system(s) generating the material identifier packages. The recycled material data may be provided by a computing node of a decentral computing environment associated with one or more recycling system(s), preferably configured to generate the material identifier package and/or determine the material composition of the recycled material based on the material identifier package. The recycled material identifier may relate to the material package identifier and corresponding material composition data associated with the recycled material. The recycled material may comprise e.g. battery cell(s) or black mass material provided by recycling electrode elements of the batteries.
Operation data associated with at least one operation property of the plant may be provided. Operation data may be provided by computer-executable instructions running in an at least partially decentral computing environment, wherein the computer-executable instructions access the operation data of the plant based on the plant identifier. The operation data may be provided by a decentral computing node associated with one or more plant(s), such as the recycling plant(s), and/or one or more recycling system(s), such as the collector, sorter, transport, storing system. The operation data may be provided for access or be accessed by a decentral computing node associated with one or more recycling system(s) and/or classification instructions relating the one or more plant(s) to recycled material data and/or recycled material identifier(s). The operation data may be accessed on request by a decentral computing node associated with one or more recycling system(s) and/or classification instructions relating the one or more plant(s) to recycled material data and/or recycled material identifier(s). The operation data may include classification instructions relating the one or more plant(s) to recycled material data and/or recycled material identifier(s). Operation data may be provided to determine plant identifiers identifying a plant suitable to process the recycled material associated with the recycled product identifier data, such as recycled material data and/or the recycled material identifier. Operation data may include the plant identifier, the plant capacity related to a capacity of the plant, process data relating to process properties of the plant and/or material classification data related to material processable by the plant. Operation data may be provided or accessed in the decentral computing environment. The operation data may relate to static production properties of the plant and/or dynamic production propertied of the plant. Operation plant data may be static data relating to general specifications of a plant or it may be dynamic relating to current specifications of the plant. The latter allows for real time perspective on capacities, process data and/or material data. Plants can be matched based on real-time information allowing for more efficient and targeted use of plant resources in the recycling or production process.
Assignment of the plant identifier data, such as plant identifier(s), to the recycled product or component identifier data, such as recycled material data and/or the recycled material identifier, may be based on plant capacity data, process data and/or material data. The plant may be any recycling plant e.g. including mechanical, thermal, chemical or combination thereof. For the example of the battery, the plant may be a metallurgical plant for recovery of transition metals from battery materials. The metallurgical plant may be a hydrometallurgical plant and/or a pyrometallurgical plant. The recycled material may be assigned to a one-stage, two-stage or multi-stage process comprising at least one hydrometallurgical plant and/or a pyrometallurgical plant. The recycled material may contain electrode active material. The recycled material may be black mass.
Plant identifier data, such as plant identifier(s), may be determined by classifying according to classification instructions providing material data processable by the plant. The classification instructions may be provided or executed by at least one node of the decentral computing system. Classification instructions may run in an at least partially decentral computing environment, wherein the classification instructions gather recycled material identifiers relating the one or more plant(s) to recycled material data, such as the recycled material composition, and respective plant identifier(s). The classification instructions accessing the recycled material data based on the recycled material or product identifier may initiate classification followed by transfer of the classified result. The classification instructions may be triggered by one or more recycling system(s) at any stage of the recycling process following generation of material identifier package. The classification instructions may access the recycled material data via the recycled material identifier as provided by one or more recycling system(s) and/or product identifier as provided by a material producer. The classification instructions may transfer the classification result to one or more recycling system(s), such as sorting, collecting, transporting or storing systems, and/or one or more plant(s), such as recycling and/or production plant(s).
Such classification instructions may include material compositions processable by the plant. For the example of the battery, if the battery material composition signifies Li as a constituent, the plant assigned may be a hydrometallurgical plant. Further for instance, if Li is not contained as a constituent pyrometallurgical or hydrometallurgical plant may be assigned. In addition or alternatively, the determination of plant identifier data may include capacity or process specifics. For the example of the battery, if electrolyte fluid is part of recycled material the operations specifics of the plant, such as separation of electrolyte, may need to be adapted or a plant with appropriate process specifics may need to be assigned. Further for instance, if a plant capacity is already filled another plant may be assigned. For instance, the quantity or amount of recycled material may be determined via the recycled material identifiers and the material composition data. The material composition may include a relative quantity or amount of the constituents and/or an absolute quantity amount of material. Determining the plant identifier data production data may relate to production processes of the plant. Plant identifiers may be determined based on operation in connection with material classification. Plant identifiers may be provided. Plant assignment data comprising plant identifiers and related recycled material identifier(s) may be provided. This way the incoming recycled material can be identified and processed by the plant.
At least one plant identifier associated with a plant for processing the recycled material associated with the at least one recycled product identifier may be determined. Determining the at least one plant identifier may include selecting the plant identifier associated with the plant for processing the recycled material associated with the recycled product or component identifier data based on the operation data. Determining the at least one plant identifier may include classification by classification instructions providing material data associated with one or more material configuration(s) processable by at least one plant. Determining the at least one plant identifier may include matching the at least one recycled material identifier and the at least one plant identifier based on an amount of recycled material and a capacity of the plant. Determining the at least one plant identifier may include matching of the at least one recycled material identifier and the at least one plant identifier based on process data associated with one or more recycling process(es) and/or material data associated with at least one material configuration processable by the at least one plant.
Plant assignment data comprising the at least one recycled material identifier related to the at least one plant identifier may be provided. From the plant assignment data transport and/or storing instructions may be determined and provided. Operation instructions to at least one manufacturing execution system of a plant may be provided and transmitted.
Transport and/or storing instructions based on location data associated with recycled material associated with the recycled material identifier and with the plant identifier may be generated and provided e.g. as disclosed in the context of
Product or component identifiers and corresponding material configuration may be provided. Classification instructions for classifying the products or components by chemical composition may be provided. E.g. for the battery, the cathode active material may be accessed or provided. The product or component identifiers may be match according to the chemical composition from one or more products e.g. for the battery example the cathode active material of the batteries. A package identifier associated with the chemical composition of the package, such as in the battery example the black mass package, may be generated e.g. as disclosed in the context of
To match appropriate recycling plants for operating the recycling process, operation data and plant identifiers may be accessed or provided. The operation data may include plant identifiers associated with process and capacity data. Based on the operation data, package identifiers may be matched to the plant identifier. For instance, from the package identifiers the number of products or components or a quantity or an amount of material to be recycled may be determined. Based on the quantity or amount or the number and the plant capacity, the material package may be assigned to a plant. The respective plant identifier may be provided in conjunction with the package identifiers associated with the package of products or components or materials.
The packages may be gathered by storing or transport instructions based on package identifier and the plant identifier. Additionally or alternatively, the recycling run of the plant for the respective package of products or components or material may be scheduled by providing the package identifier to the recycling plant operation system.
The product or component identifiers and associated material configuration data as well as plant identifiers and associated operation data may be provided. The operation data may include capacity, material processing and process data related to the plant indicated by the plant identifier.
The capacity data may be matched with the quantity or amount of recycled material or the number of products or components associated with the product or component identifiers. Additional matching criteria may be the process data and/or material processing data of the plant in connection with the material configuration data associated with the product or component identifiers or recycled material data associated with the recycled material identifiers.
If no suitable plant is identified, storing instructions may be generated and the associated product or component identifiers or recycled material identifiers may be stored in a database for non-assigned recycled material packages.
If a plant with capacity to recycle is identified, product or component identifiers or recycled material identifiers may be matched with material processing data or process data.
If a suitable plant is identified, the product or component identifiers or recycled material identifiers may be assigned to the plant identifier. The assigned plant may then receive the identifiers to schedule the recycling process.
If no suitable plant is identified, storing instructions may be generated and respective identifiers may be stored in a database for non-assigned packages.
Battery identifiers may be associated with different components of the battery. Such battery identifiers may be matched and assigned to a package identifier as described in the context of
The packages may be assigned to the recycling plant for recycling the packaged material composition of battery materials. The package identifiers may be virtually assigned to the recycling plant identifier in the first and/or second stage of the recycling process as e.g. described in the context of
The produced recycled material package may be assigned via associated package identifiers to a further recycling plant producing the recyclate. The recyclate may be assigned via associated package identifiers to a plant identifier associated with a plant using the recyclate to produce a new battery.
At the start of the recycling chain stands the end-of-life product 1400. In this case the end-of-life product 1400 is a lithium-ion battery. The lithium-ion battery may include an identifier element as described in the context of
The identifier(s) of end-of-life batteries 1400 may be provided by reading the identifier element with a reader 1404 e.g. as described in the context of
Based on the material configuration data associated with the end-of-life battery 1400, the battery identifiers may be classified into packages of identifiers that may be processed together in the recycling chain that follows. For instance, the ID package generator 1406 may be configured to perform the methods described in the context of
Based on condition data associated with the end-of-life battery, the batteries may be discharged and/or disassembled by way of discharge and/or disassemble instructions. Such instructions may include an analysis of condition data collected during the lifetime, an end-of-life measurement protocol for collecting condition data from the end-of-life battery, an analysis of condition data collected by way of the end-of-life measurement protocol or any combination thereof. Analysis of condition data collected during the lifetime may include data related to self-discharge, charge/discharge processes, or state variables (e.g. cell temperature). This way further processing instructions on use of the battery 1400 may be determined without measurement effort. End-of-life measurement protocols may include the measurement of capacity, power, physical or chemical properties or resistance. Analysis of such measurement data may lead to further processing instructions on use of the battery. Alternatively or additionally, such instructions may include discharge and/or disassembling instructions for robotic systems. For instance, the discharger and/or disassembler system 1404 may be configured to receive such instructions and to disassemble and/or discharge batteries 1400 based on such instructions.
The components of the end-of-life battery such as cell, cathode elements, anode element, electrolyte, separator or housing may be associated with the product identifier and/or separate component identifiers. Based on the identifier packages as provided by the battery recycling data transport and/or storing instructions may be generated for the battery or if disassembled for battery component(s) e.g. as described in the context of
Based on battery recycling data associated with battery identifiers and operation data associated with plant identifiers, the batteries or component(s) of the battery may be assigned to a plant identifier by providing plant assignment data as described in the context of
Based on the tracked recycling material packages and recyclate data, production data may be provided by recyclate quota generator 1418. Any computation may be executed via a computing environment. The computing environment may be based on a decentral computing architecture as described in the context of
The computing environment, the collector system or the sorting system 1402 may be configured to generate collection and/or sorting instructions based on the material identifier package as e.g. described in the context of
The collector system and/or the sorting system 1402 may be configured to provide battery identifiers to the computing environment. The battery identifiers may be provided via the identification element as described in
The computing environment with decentral computing nodes, collector system and/or the sorting system 1402 may be configured to access material data based on the provided battery identifier. The computing environment may include the ID generator configured to determine material identifier package including package of battery identifiers as described in the context of
For instance, the computing environment or a node of the computing environment may be configured to determine, based on the locations of the batteries associated with the material identifier package, collection point data signifying the collection location for the batteries or battery component to be recycled. The collection instructions may include the collection locations. Collection instructions may be provided to the collector system. The collection instructions may include the collection locations for each package identifier or package of battery identifiers included in the material identifier package. This way batteries or components of batteries may be collected in such a way that they are processable together and further sorting is not needed. The collector system 1402 may be configured to collect batteries or components of batteries to be recycled, preferably by material configuration. This way the sorting of batteries or components of batteries to be recycled may be done directly on collection making a further sorting process redundant. The collector system 1402 may be configured to collect batteries or components of batteries to be recycled, to provide battery IDs for generating material identifier package according to classification instructions or to provide material identifier package e.g. to a sorting system, to classify battery IDs according to classification instructions, to store associated recycling data or to provide associated recycling data e.g. per material configuration to a sorting system.
Further for instance, the computing environment or nodes of the computing environment may be configured to generate sorting instructions based on the package identifiers or the collections of battery identifiers. The sorting instructions may include the battery identifiers per package. The sorting instructions may be provided to a sorting system 1402. The sorting system may be configured to provide the product identifier per battery or battery component to be recycled and to sort such batteries or battery components based on the provided sorting instructions. This way batteries or components of batteries may be sorted by reading the identification element in such a way that they are processable together.
The computing environment, the collector system 1402, the sorting system 1402, the production plant system 1416 or the recycling plant system 1410 may be configured to generate transport and/or storing instructions based on the material identifier package.
Based on location data of the batteries or the components to be recycled and based on the target location of the batteries or the components to be recycled transport instructions may be determined. The target location may relate to the recycling plant to process the material configuration. Based on the capacity of the recycling plant and/or based on the number of batteries or components per package identifier or per package of battery identifiers, storing instructions may be determined. If a plant capacity is higher than the number of batteries or components per package collected for the material configuration, storing instructions may be generated. Such storage instructions may include a storage location for storing batteries or their components until the number reaches the capacity of the plant.
As described above different variations exist to implement the methods, apparatus and systems described herein. Different systems may implement different method steps or service component. The described embodiments are only examples and should not be considered limiting.
Batteries comprise different parts of material as described in
The separated components may be fed into subsequent recycling streams. For instance, the cells of the battery may be recycled to recover transition metals comprised in the electrode elements. In particular, lithium-ion batteries comprise electrode active material comprising lithium. The recycling process may follow different process layouts depending on the material configuration used in the cells of the lithium-ion battery. The recycled material from mechanical recycling may be further processed by pyrometallurgy and/or hydrometallurgy. For instance depending on the composition of the recycled material pyrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy or a combination of both may be used. One process design may be based upon pyrometallurgical followed by hydrometallurgical processing of battery scrap materials. Another process design may be based on the direct hydrometallurgical processing of battery materials. Such processes will transition metals separately or already in the desired stoichiometries for making a new cathode active material.
Based on the virtual packaging of batteries by the material composition via the batter identifiers the material composition of the recycled material may be tracked. Furthermore, the composition of the recycled material may be determined by classifying the battery identifiers based on the associated material composition. This way the composition of the recycled material may be tailored to subsequent recycling process steps. Furthermore, such tracking of the recycled material may be performed up to the recyclate and the tracking may be used for tracking e.g. the availability of recyclate or recyclate compositions. The decentral computing environment giving access to specific material data via the identifiers allows for reliable and efficient operation across the recycling process from end-of-life product to recyclate that may be re-used in the production of new material.
Recycling data associated with the use of recycled precursor material in the production of the at least one component of the product may be provided. The recycling data may indicate recyclate feed content for the at least one component of the product. The recyclate feed content may specify the total recyclate feed content for the component or the recyclate feed content per precursor. The recycling data may include a recyclate amount or quota for one or more precursor product(s).
For the example of the battery, for the electrode active material of lithium-ion batteries certain recycling amount or quota may be provided for certain precursors, such as metals like cobalt, lithium, copper or nickel. Additionally or alternatively, a total recyclate feed content for the at least one component of the product may be provided. For the example of the battery, for lithium-ion batteries a total amount or rate for recyclates independent of the precursor(s) may be provided. Such total amount or rate may relate to individual components, to a combination of components or to all components. For the example of the battery, for lithium-ion batteries the total amount or rate may relate to the electrode element including the electrode active material, to the anode element including the anode active material, to the cell with its components or to the battery with its components. The recycling data may for example specify 20% of copper to be recycled copper, 10% of lithium to be recycled lithium, and 12% of nickel to be recycled nickel. The recycling data may for example specify 15% or 20% of transition metals to be recycled transition metals. The recycling data may for example specify 30% of materials used for producing the component to be recycled material.
Operation data associated with at least one operation property of at least one production plant may be accessed and provided. Such operation data may relate to the availability of one or more recycled precursor(s) for producing the at least one component of the product. For instance, the availability may be derived from storage levels for different recycled precursors, from recyclate package identifiers associated with amounts of recycled precursors available from recycling processes, or from recycled material identifiers including identifiers associated with amounts to be recycled and available from recycling processes. Such availability data may further be associated with plants. For instance, certain material may be available for production plants in the vicinity of the plant, such as in an area of multiple 100 kilometers or less. Other examples of operation data may include capacity data indicating the current capacity of the production plants, process data indicating process specifics of the production plants, performance data indicating performance specifics of the production plants or emission data associated with the production plants.
Based on the recycling data and the operation data, a recyclate feed content of one or more recycled precursor(s) may be determined. The recyclate feed content for one or more precursor(s) may be determined depending on the recyclate amount of one or more precursor product(s), the recyclate quota for one or more precursor product(s) and/or the total recyclate feed content for the at least one component of the product to be produced. For instance, if recyclate amount or quota are provided, the minimum recyclate feed content may correspond to the recyclate amount or quota.
Further operation data may be considered for determining the recyclate feed content for one or more recycled precursor(s). The operation data may include availability data derived from identifiers. Said availability data may signify the amount of recycled material available from the recycling process. Such amount may be derived from identifiers and the material tracking as disclosed herein such as
If for instance the availability data of the precursors is provided, the recyclate feed content for those precursors with high availability may be increased compared to the recyclate amount or quota. This way the recyclate feed content and the production may be tailored to adapt the recyclate feed content. Further for instance, if the total amount or quota is provided, the recyclate feed content may be distributed across different precursors. If the availability data of the precursors is provided, the recyclate feed content for those precursors with high availability may be increased compared to the recyclate feed content for precursors with lower availability. This way the recyclate feed content and the production may be tailored to adapt the recyclate feed content.
As an example in the battery example, determining the recyclate feed content may concern the process for making electrode active materials for lithium-ion batteries. In such process first a precursor may be formed by co-precipitating transition metals as carbonates, oxides or preferably as hydroxides that may or may not be basic. The process for making particulate (oxy) hydroxide of transition metal is for instance described in WO2021244963A1, which is herewith incorporated by reference. Said particulate (oxy) hydroxide may serve as a precursor for electrode active materials, and it may therefore also be referred to as precursor. Formation of transition metal-based precursors may include recycled transition metals as provided according to the determined recyclate feed content for transition metal precursors. The transition metal-based precursor may then be mixed with a precursor source of lithium such as, but not limited to LiOH, Li2O or Li2CO3 and calcined (fired) at high temperatures. The process for making an electrode is for instance described in WO2020/069882A1, which is herewith incorporated by reference Lithium salt(s) can be employed as hydrate(s) or in dehydrated form. The calcination—or firing—generally also referred to as thermal treatment or heat treatment of the precursor—may be carried out at temperatures in the range of from 600 to 1000° C. During the thermal treatment a solid-state reaction takes place, and the electrode active material is formed. Lithium containing precursors may include recycled lithium or precursors formed from recycled lithium. Recycled lithium or precursors formed from recycled lithium may be provided according to the recyclate feed content for such precursors.
The determined recyclate feed content of one or more recycled precursor(s) for production of at least one component of the product may be provided to generate instructions for operating the production plant. For instance, based on the composition of the component and the recyclate feed content per precursor, instructions for monitoring and/or controlling the product feed may be generated and provided to the operation system of the production plant. Apart from the feed further operation instructions for monitoring and/or controlling operation of the production plant may be generated and provided. Such further instructions may include different operation parameters depending on the feed compositions or the recyclate feed content. The operating plant may be operated based on the provided instructions for monitoring and/or controlling operation of the production plant.
Recyclate feed content may be determined e.g. according to the example embodiment of
In this example precursor identifier and availability data may be provided to determine the recyclate feed content. The precursor identifier may be associated with at least one precursor and the amount of recycled precursor available. The precursor identifier may be associated with an amount of recycled precursor available. The precursor identifier may relate to recycling material identifier or it may be derived from product or component identifiers and the tracking in the recycling process as described herein e.g. in the context of
In addition, capacity data related to the production capacity for one or more production plants, process data relating to process specifics of one or more production plants, performance data relating to performance characteristics of one or more production plants and/or emission data relating to emission(s) for producing the at least one component of the product may be provided. Emission data may include emissions from precursor materials and the at least one production plant for producing the component or product. The emission data may include at least one emission target for use of precursor(s) in the production of the at least one component or product. The emission data may include a total emission target for producing the at least one component or product. Emission targets may be provided via a user interface as for instance depicted in
Based on the capacity data and/or the emission data, a plant for processing the recyclate and for producing the at least one component using the recyclate feed content may be selected. Selecting the production plant for producing the component may depend on the determined recyclate feed content in combination with process data and/or capacity data to determine, if the plant is suitable for processing the recyclate. Selecting the production plant for producing the component may also depend on emission data and/or performance data.
The production plant meeting at least one emission target for use of precursor(s) and/or the total emission target for producing the at least one component may be selected. The selection of the production plant may be based on a multi-dimensional metric defining a distance and/or a threshold measure. The distance and/or threshold measure may be determined from the determined recyclate feed content in relation to process data and/or capacity data, the recyclate feed content in relation to the at least one emission target for use of precursor(s) and/or the total emission target for producing the at least one component.
Further based on the process data, the composition of the recyclate, e.g. as tracked via the identifiers across the recycling chain, may be used to match the process specifics of the plant with the process specifics required for the recyclate composition. For the example of the battery, in case of electrode active material the recyclate may be available in the desired stoichiometry required for producing the electrode active material or transition metal recyclate may be available separately. In such case the recyclate with the desired stoichiometry may be selected in combination with a suitable plant to produce the electrode active material from such recyclate. For the example of the battery the plant may be an electrode active material production plant or cathode active material (CAM) plant for processing transition metal carbonates, oxides or hydroxides as precursors. If only transition metal recyclate is available, another suitable plant to produce the electrode active material or cathode active material from such recyclate may be selected. For the example of the battery, the plant may be a precursor electrode active material production plant or a precursor cathode active material (PCAM) plant for processing transition metals as precursors.
Operation instructions for controlling and/or monitoring the production system such as a precursor feed of at least one virgin precursor and/or at least one recycled precursor may be generated and provided. Further operation instructions for controlling and/or monitoring the operation of the selected plant may be determined e.g. based on the determined recyclate feed content, emission target(s), performance data and the selected production plant. The operation instructions for controlling and/or monitoring the operation of the selected plant may be provided to a production system. The production plant may be operated based on such operation instructions.
Recyclate feed content may be determined e.g. as described in the context of
In addition, availability data per recycled precursor may be accessed and provided. Recyclate feed content may be determined e.g. as described in the context of
Hence, based on the determined recyclate feed content the chemical performance parameter(s) associated with the component to be produced depending on the determined recyclate feed content may be determined. Such determined chemical performance parameter(s) may be compared to the provided target performance parameter(s) to determine, if the component produced with the feed composition fulfills the required chemical performance.
If the chemical performance is fulfilled for the determined recyclate feed content, operation instructions for controlling and/or monitoring the production system such as a precursor feed of at least one virgin precursor and/or at least one recycled precursor may be generated and provided. Further operation instructions for controlling and/or monitoring the operation of the selected plant may be determined e.g. based on the determined recyclate feed content, emission target(s), performance data and the selected production plant. The operation instructions for controlling and/or monitoring the operation of the selected plant may be provided to a production system. The production plant may be operated based on such operation instructions.
Recyclate feed content may be determined and provided as e.g. described in the context of
If emission targets are not met, the recyclate feed content may be re-determined based on the total emission target or the recyclate feed content may be determined based on the at least one emission target for use of precursor(s). Optionally a different plant may be selected.
If emission targets are met, operation instructions for controlling a precursor feed of at least one virgin precursor and/or at least one recycled precursor based on the determined recyclate feed content and/or the selected production plant may be generated. The operation instructions for controlling and/or monitoring e.g. a precursor feed of at least one virgin precursor and/or at least one recycled precursor may be provided. Further operation instructions for controlling and/or monitoring operation of the selected plant may be determined based on the determined recyclate feed content and the selected production plant. The operation instructions for controlling and/or monitoring operation of the selected plant may be provided e.g. to the production system. The production plant may be controlled and/or monitored according to the operation instructions.
The present disclosure has been described in conjunction with embodiments as examples. However, other variations can be understood and effected by those persons skilled in the art and practicing the claimed invention, from the studies of the drawings, this disclosure and the claims. Notably, in particular, the any steps presented can be performed in any order, i.e. the present invention is not limited to a specific order of these steps. Moreover, it is also not required that the different steps are performed at a certain place or at one node of a distributed system, i.e. each of the steps may be performed at a different nodes using different equipment/data processing units.
As used herein “determining” also includes “initiating or causing to determine”, “generating”, “querying”, “accessing”, “correlating”, “matching”, “selecting” also includes “initiating or causing to generate, access, query, correlating, select and/or match” and “providing” also includes “initiating or causing to determine, generate, access, query, correlating, select and/or match, send and/or receive”. “Initiating or causing to perform an action” includes any processing signal that triggers a computing node to perform the respective action.
In the claims as well as in the description the word “comprising” or “including” does not exclude other elements or steps and the indefinite article “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality. A single element or other unit may fulfill the functions of several entities or items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in the mutual different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used in an advantageous implementation.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22162950.4 | Mar 2022 | EP | regional |
| 22162951.2 | Mar 2022 | EP | regional |
| 22162988.4 | Mar 2022 | EP | regional |
| 22163003.1 | Mar 2022 | EP | regional |
| 22163004.9 | Mar 2022 | EP | regional |
| 22163005.6 | Mar 2022 | EP | regional |
| 22167945.9 | Apr 2022 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2023/056890 | 3/17/2023 | WO |
