Sustainable Direct Recycling of Lithium-Ion Batteries via Solvent Recovery of Electrode Materials

Bai, Yaocai; Muralidharan, Nitin; Li, Jianlin; Essehli, Rachid; Belharouak, Ilias

doi:10.1002/cssc.202001479

Sustainable Direct Recycling of Lithium-Ion Batteries via Solvent Recovery of Electrode Materials

Journal Article · Fri Jul 31 00:00:00 EDT 2020 · ChemSusChem

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202001479· OSTI ID:1661243

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Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)

Separation of electrode materials from their current collectors is an enabling step toward recovering critical materials from spent lithium-ion batteries. In this study, a highly efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable separation process was developed for that purpose. Ethylene glycol, a vital commodity chemical as an antifreeze and polymer precursor, is used to delaminate electrode materials at low temperatures in seconds without altering the crystalline structure and morphology of active electrode materials. The recovered current collectors were intact without any corrosion. The authors also found that the solvent could be continuously reused, leading to the development of a closed-loop ecosystem and lithium-ion battery circular economy. The ultrafast delamination was driven by the competitive inhibition of binding through the weakening of hydrogen bonding. The ethylene glycol-based separation is a sustainable electrode recovery process that paves the way for battery recycling.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Transportation Office. Vehicle Technologies Office

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725

OSTI ID:: 1661243

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1804594

Journal Information:: ChemSusChem, Journal Name: ChemSusChem Journal Issue: TBD Vol. TBD; ISSN 1864-5631

Publisher:: ChemPubSoc EuropeCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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