New battery recycling system allows for 70% lithium recovery

Researchers at the Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie in Germany have developed a new battery recycling system that can recover 70% of lithium from battery waste without using corrosive chemicals, high temperatures, or prior material sorting.

In a study published in the journal Nature Communications Chemistry, the researchers explained that the method combines mechanical processes with chemical reactions and can work with any type of lithium-ion battery.

According to the first author of the publication, Oleksandr Dolotko, the method can be used to recover lithium from cathode materials with various chemical compositions and is therefore suitable for a large range of commercially available lithium-ion batteries. It enables inexpensive, energy-efficient, and environmentally compatible recycling.

The researchers used aluminum as a reducing agent in the mechanochemical reaction. As aluminum is already contained in the cathode, no additional substances are required.

The battery waste is ground and then reacts with aluminum to form metallic composites with water-soluble lithium compounds. Lithium recovery is achieved by dissolving these compounds in water and subsequently heating the solution to evaporate the water.

According to Dolotko, the mechanochemical reaction takes place at ambient temperature and pressure, making this method highly energy-efficient. Another advantage is its simplicity, which will enable its use on an industrial scale as a large amount of batteries will need to be recycled in the near future.