Chinese researchers have developed a highly efficient method for recycling materials from lithium-ion batteries, achieving near-total recovery of key metals. The project, a collaboration between Central South University in Changsha, Guizhou Normal University, and the National Engineering Research Center of Advanced Energy Storage Materials, introduces an environmentally friendly process that avoids harsh chemicals.
The new method employs micro batteries to break down lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese before extracting them using glycine, an amino acid. The use of glycine eliminates the need for aggressive acids or alkalis, reducing toxic by-products and making the process significantly more sustainable.
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“The intractable problem, the effective extraction is available only under the aggressive acid/alkali-ion conditions, is well-solved within a mild leaching atmosphere,” the researchers stated in their paper published in Angewandte Chemie. “This green and efficient strategy in a neutral solution environment opens a new pathway to realize the large-scale pollution-free recycling of spent batteries.”
The process has demonstrated high recovery rates: 99.99% for lithium, 96.8% for nickel, 92.35% for cobalt, and 90.59% for manganese. These figures surpass the targets of a recent European Union-backed battery recycling initiative, which aims for 95% recovery efficiency for metals such as cobalt, nickel, and copper over a four-year project timeline.
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Automakers are also intensifying their efforts in battery recycling. Last month, Toyota introduced a battery recycling technique designed to lower CO₂ emissions, while JLR announced a major investment in Cyclic Materials, a company specializing in battery resource recovery.