Automated lithium-ion battery electrode recovery line
This technology is an automated, multi-stage production line for disassembling spent battery cells and recovering their internal components for recycling. The system moves batteries through a sequence of stations: first receiving them, then cutting or preparing the outer casing, removing that casing, repositioning the exposed cell, and finally using a set of rollers to unwind the electrode and separator layers inside. Each station feeds the next automatically, and the recovered materials—electrodes and separating membranes—are collected for reprocessing. The design is modular and mechanical, meaning it can be scaled or adapted for different battery form factors.
What you could build
An automated battery disassembly and material-recovery line sold or licensed to battery recyclers, cathode material reclamers, or EV manufacturers building closed-loop supply chains. Primary buyers would be companies like Li-Cycle, Redwood Materials, or OEM-adjacent recycling ventures that need higher throughput and material purity than manual disassembly offers.
Who in Virginia should care
Defense contractors and federal agencies in Virginia with battery-intensive programs (submarines, drones, EVs) have strong incentives to develop domestic, secure battery recycling capacity.
Readiness: Prototype likely
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Robert H. Sturges, Zheng Li, Liurui Li, Tairan Yang
- Granted
- September 26, 2023
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 11769915
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.