Apparatus for manufacturing negative-electrode carbon material, and method for manufacturing negative-electrode carbon material using same

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus for manufacturing a lithium-ion secondary cell negative-electrode carbon material by heat-treating carbon particles while causing the carbon particles to flow within a heat-treatment furnace, the apparatus for manufacturing a lithium-ion secondary battery negative-electrode carbon material having: a heat-treatment furnace provided with a carbon-particle supply opening for supplying the carbon particles into the interior, and a negative-electrode carbon material recovery opening for taking out the negative-electrode carbon material from the interior; and a cooling tank connected in an airtight manner to the negative-electrode carbon material recovery opening of the heat-treatment furnace, and provided with a cooling means. Also provided is a method for manufacturing a lithium-ion secondary battery negative-electrode carbon material by using the apparatus.

1 - 11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . A batchwise method for manufacturing a negative-electrode carbon material, comprising:
 a carbon-particle supplying step of supplying carbon particles to an interior of a heat-treatment furnace;   a heat-treating step of heat-treating the carbon particles to 650° C. or higher while causing the particles to flow within the heat-treatment furnace to produce the negative-electrode carbon material; and   a negative-electrode carbon material transporting step of transporting the negative-electrode carbon material produced in the heat-treating step from the interior of the heat-treatment furnace to a cooling tank via an on-off valve,   the method repeating the steps sequentially, wherein   the carbon-particle supplying step carried out after the negative-electrode carbon material transporting step supplies carbon particles to the interior of the heat-treatment furnace having a temperature of 650° C. or higher.   
     
     
         13 . The method for manufacturing a negative-electrode carbon material according to  claim 12 , wherein the heat-treating step is a carbonizing step of carbonizing the carbon particles at 800 to 1200° C. while causing the carbon particles to flow within the heat-treatment furnace. 
     
     
         14 . The method for manufacturing a negative-electrode carbon material according to  claim 12 , wherein the heat-treating step is a chemical vapor deposition treating step of bringing a source for carbon vapor deposition into contact with a surface of the carbon particles while causing the carbon particles to flow within the heat-treatment furnace, along with pyrolyzing the source for carbon vapor deposition at 650 to 1200° C. to vapor-deposit a pyrolyzed carbon onto the surface of the carbon particles. 
     
     
         15 . The method for manufacturing a negative-electrode carbon material according to  claim 14 , wherein the amount of the pyrolized carbon vapor-deposited onto the surface of carbon particles is between 0.2 and 30% by mass. 
     
     
         16 . The method for manufacturing a negative-electrode carbon material according to  claim 12 , wherein the carbon particles supplied to the interior of the heat-treatment furnace in the carbon-particle supplying step are carbon particles preliminarily heated to 100 to 1200° C. 
     
     
         17 . The method for manufacturing a negative-electrode carbon material according to  claim 12 , wherein the carbon particles are any of:
 a phenolic resin, a naphthalene sulfonic acid resin, polyvinylidene chloride, carboxymethylcellulose, a polyacrylonitrile resin, polyvinyl chloride, and a gilsonite coke; a petroleum mesophase pitch or a coal mesophase pitch, and a petroleum coke or a coal pitch coke obtained by carbonizing the mesophase pitch at 300 to 500 C; and   a natural graphite and an artificial graphite.   
     
     
         18 . The method for manufacturing a negative-electrode carbon material according to  claim 12 , wherein the cooling tank is provided with an interior and a cooling jacket, and the negative-electrode carbon material transported to the cooling tank is transported to the interior of the cooling tank. 
     
     
         19 . The method for manufacturing a negative-electrode carbon material according to  claim 18 , wherein the negative-electrode carbon material in the interior of the cooling tank is subjected to heat exchange with a refrigerant flowing within the cooling jacket of the cooling tank and is cooled to 100° C. or lower. 
     
     
         20 . The method for manufacturing a negative-electrode carbon material according to  claim 19 , wherein the cooling tank is further provided with stirring blades, and the negative-electrode carbon material in the interior of the cooling tank is stirred while cooling. 
     
     
         21 . The method for manufacturing a negative-electrode carbon material according to  claim 12 , wherein the cooling tank is provided with a recovery opening, and wherein the negative-electrode carbon material is removed from the cooling tank to the exterior of the cooling tank through the recovery opening when the temperature of the negative-electrode carbon material is at 100° C. or lower. 
     
     
         22 . The method for manufacturing a negative-electrode carbon material according to  claim 12 , wherein the negative-electrode carbon material is cooled within the cooling tank under a non-oxidizing atmosphere until the temperature reaches approximately 100° C. 
     
     
         23 . The method for manufacturing a negative-electrode carbon material according to  claim 12 , wherein the negative-electrode carbon material produced in the heat-treating step is immediately transported from the interior of the heat-treatment furnace to the cooling tank. 
     
     
         24 . The method for manufacturing a negative-electrode carbon material according to  claim 23 , wherein the negative-electrode carbon material transporting step and the carbon-particle supplying step are almost continually carried out; and wherein the temperature of the heat-treatment furnace is kept at 650° C. or higher during the sequential repeating of the steps. 
     
     
         25 . The method for manufacturing a negative-electrode carbon material according to  claim 23 , wherein the negative-electrode carbon material transporting step and the carbon-particle supplying step are almost continually carried out; and wherein the temperature of the heat-treatment furnace is kept at from 800° C. to 1200° C. during the sequential repeating of the steps. 
     
     
         26 . The method for manufacturing a negative-electrode carbon material according to  claim 12 , wherein the time required for the carbon particles temperature to reach 650° C. or higher in the repeated heat-treating steps is reduced as compared to a method wherein the negative-electrode carbon material produced in the heat-treating step is cooled in the heat-treatment furnace and not removed to the cooling tank for cooling. 
     
     
         27 . A method, comprising:
 heat-treating carbon particles to 650° C. or higher in an interior of a heat-treatment furnace while causing the particles to flow within the heat-treatment furnace to produce a negative-electrode carbon material; and   transporting the negative-electrode carbon material from the interior of the heat-treatment furnace to a cooling tank via an on-off valve,   the method repeating the steps sequentially.   
     
     
         28 . The method according to  claim 27 , wherein the heat-treating and transporting steps are almost continually carried out; and wherein the temperature of the heat-treatment furnace is kept at 650° C. or higher during the sequential repeating of the steps. 
     
     
         29 . The method according to  claim 27 , wherein the heat-treating step is a chemical vapor deposition treating step of bringing a source for carbon vapor deposition into contact with a surface of the carbon particles while causing the carbon particles to flow within the heat-treatment furnace, along with pyrolyzing the source for carbon vapor deposition at 650 to 1200° C. to vapor-deposit a pyrolyzed carbon onto the surface of the carbon particles. 
     
     
         30 . The method according to  claim 27 , wherein the cooling tank is provided with an interior and a cooling jacket, and the negative-electrode carbon material transported to the cooling tank is transported to the interior of the cooling tank, wherein the negative-electrode carbon material in the interior of the cooling tank is subjected to heat exchange with a refrigerant flowing within the cooling jacket of the cooling tank and is cooled to 100° C. or lower. 
     
     
         31 . The method according to  claim 27 , wherein the negative-electrode carbon material is cooled within the cooling tank under a non-oxidizing atmosphere until the temperature reaches approximately 100° C.