employs microwave radiation and a readily biodegradable solvent<\/a>.<\/p>\nThe new process can recover up to 50% of the lithium from used lithium-ion battery (LIB)\u00a0 cathodes in as little as 30 seconds.<\/p>\n
This innovative method could prove pivotal in boosting supplies of lithium, a crucial ingredient in electric vehicle (EV) batteries.<\/p>\n
The global market for lithium-ion batteries was valued at over $65bn in 2023. With an expected growth rate of over 23% in the next eight years, this surge will likely exacerbate existing challenges in lithium supply.<\/p>\n
Sohini Bhattacharyya, one of the two lead authors of the study, explained: “We’ve seen a colossal growth in LIB use in recent years, which inevitably raises concerns as to the availability of critical metals like lithium, cobalt and nickel that are used in the cathodes.<\/p>\n
“It’s therefore really important to recycle spent LIBs to recover these metals.”<\/p>\n
Challenges in conventional lithium recovery<\/h3>\n
Traditional recycling methods for lithium involve harsh acids and have proven inefficient and economically unviable.<\/p>\n
These methods recover less than 5% of lithium, primarily due to contamination, energy-intensive processes, and significant material loss.<\/p>\n
Salma Alhashim, a Rice doctoral alumna, explained that lithium’s low recovery rate is because it is usually precipitated after other metals.<\/p>\n
Her research focuses on targeting lithium specifically. The team used a deep eutectic solvent (DES) comprising choline chloride and ethylene glycol.<\/p>\n
Previous work showed that during leaching in this DES, lithium binds with chloride ions from the choline chloride, effectively leaching into the solution.<\/p>\n
Innovative microwave-assisted leaching<\/h3>\n
To selectively leach lithium, the researchers submerged battery waste in the DES and exposed it to microwave radiation.<\/p>\n
Unlike conventional heating methods, microwaves rapidly transfer energy to molecules, significantly speeding up the reaction. This method allowed selective lithium leaching over other metals.<\/p>\n
Compared to oil bath heating, which takes 12 hours to recover 87% of lithium, microwave-assisted heating achieves the same recovery in just 15 minutes.<\/p>\n
This efficiency is due to the DES composition and its interaction with microwaves. Additionally, the short heating cycles prevent solvent decomposition, a common issue with prolonged heating.<\/p>\n
This innovative method significantly enhances lithium recovery rates and minimises environmental impact, providing a sustainable solution for lithium-ion battery recycling<\/a>.<\/p>\nAccording to the researchers, this approach holds promise for deploying DES-based recycling systems at scale, offering a more efficient and eco-friendly solution to the global lithium recovery challenge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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