PROCESS, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEM FOR RECOVERING MATERIALS FROM BATTERIES

A process for recovering component materials from lithium battery materials, the process comprising the steps of: a) processing lithium battery materials in a comminuting apparatus comprising at least a first comminuting device that is submerged in an immersion liquid, thereby creating reduced-size battery materials and liberating electrolyte material and a black mass material comprising anode and cathode powders from within the lithium battery materials and providing a sized-reduced feed stream comprising the reduced size battery materials and the black mass material and electrolyte materials entrained within the immersion liquid; and b) processing the size-reduced feed stream to obtain at least a black mass solid stream that comprises the black mass material and a retained portion of the immersion liquid having entrained electrolyte materials.