Tremendous efforts are being made to develop electrode materials, electrolytes, and separators for energy storage devices to meet the needs of emerging technologies such as electric vehicles, decarbonized electricity, and electrochemical energy storage. However, the sustainability concerns of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and next-generation rechargeable batteries have received little attention. Recycling plays an important role in the overall sustainability of future batteries and is affected by battery attributes including environmental hazards and the value of their constituent resources. Therefore, recycling should be considered when developing battery systems. Herein, we provide a systematic overview of rechargeable battery sustainability. With a particular focus on electric vehicles, we analyze the market competitiveness of batteries in terms of economy, environment, and policy. Considering the large volumes of batteries soon to be retired, we comprehensively evaluate battery utilization and recycling from the perspectives of economic feasibility, environmental impact, technology, and safety. Battery sustainability is discussed with respect to life-cycle assessment and analyzed from the perspectives of strategic resources and economic demand. Finally, we propose a 4H strategy for battery recycling with the aims of high efficiency, high economic return, high environmental benefit, and high safety. New challenges and future prospects for battery sustainability are also highlighted.

Sustainable Recycling Technology for Li-Ion Batteries and Beyond: Challenges and Future Prospects.

Recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has attracted significant attention in recent years due to the increasing demand for corresponding critical metals/materials and growing pressure on the environmental impact of solid waste disposal. A range of investigations have been carried out for recycling spent LIBs to obtain either battery materials or individual compounds. For the effective recovery of materials to be enhanced, physical pretreatment is usually applied to obtain different streams of waste materials ensuring efficient separation for further processing. Subsequently, a metallurgical process is used to extract metals or separate impurities from a specific waste stream so that the recycled materials or compounds can be further prepared by incorporating principles of materials engineering. In this review, the current status of spent LIB recycling is summarized in light of the whole recycling process, especially focusing on the hydrometallurgy. In addition to understanding different hydromet...

A Critical Review and Analysis on the Recycling of Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries

Ever-growing global energy needs and environmental damage have motivated the pursuit of sustainable energy sources and storage technologies. As attractive energy storage technologies to integrate renewable resources and electric transportation, rechargeable batteries, including lead–acid, nickel–metal hydride, nickel–cadmium, and lithium-ion batteries, are undergoing unprecedented rapid development. However, the intrinsic toxicity of rechargeable batteries arising from their use of toxic materials is potentially environmentally hazardous. Additionally, the massive production of batteries consumes numerous resources, some of which are scarce. It is therefore essential to consider battery recycling when developing battery systems. Here, we provide a systematic overview of rechargeable battery recycling from a sustainable perspective. We present state-of-the-art fundamental research and industrial technologies related to battery recycling, with a special focus on lithium-ion battery recycling. We introduce the concept of sustainability through a discussion of the life-cycle assessment of battery recycling. Considering the forecasted trend of a massive number of retired power batteries from the forecasted surge in electric vehicles, their repurposing and reuse are considered from economic, technical, environmental, and market perspectives. New opportunities, challenges, and future prospects for battery recycling are then summarized. A reinterpreted 3R strategy entailing redesign, reuse, and recycling is recommended for the future development of battery recycling.

Toward sustainable and systematic recycling of spent rechargeable batteries

A Mini-Review on Metal Recycling from Spent Lithium Ion Batteries

Recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries in view of lithium recovery: A critical review

Leaching lithium from the anode electrode materials of spent lithium-ion batteries by hydrochloric acid (HCl)

The invention relates to a method for separating lithium and graphite from a negative electrode material of a waste lithium battery and resource utilization. The method comprises the steps of pre-treatment on a negative electrode graphite material, separation and leaching of lithium ions in a waste lithium battery mixed material and preparation of graphene, wherein pre-treatment mainly comprises lithium battery disassembly, graphite material stripping, organic impurity removal and the like; the separation and leaching of the lithium ions in the waste lithium battery mixed material comprises control on indexes such as acid concentration, solid-liquid ratio, time, temperature and acid/oxidizing agent volume, and finally, the lithium ion recycle is realized by methods of low-temperature stirring and filtering; and the graphene preparation comprises graphite oxidization and reduction, oxidization mainly comprises control and regulation on the oxidizing agent and process parameters of the temperature rise process and the like, and reduction mainly comprises adjustment on parameters such as pH, the ratio of hydrazine hydrate to graphite oxide and the like. According to the method, a lithium-rich leaching liquid and the graphene are finally obtained through the application of a series of combined processes.

Guo Yang

Papers

Leaching lithium from the anode electrode materials of spent lithium-ion batteries by hydrochloric acid (HCl)

Method for separating lithium and graphite from negative electrode material of waste lithium battery and resource utilization