Recovery of LiCoO2 and graphite from spent lithium-ion batteries by molten-salt electrolysis

Summary: The recovery of spent lithium-ion batteries has not only economic value but also ecological benefits. In this paper, molten-salt electrolysis was employed to recover spent LiCoO2 batteries, in which NaCl-Na2CO3 melts were used as the electrolyte, the graphite rod and the mixtures of the spe...

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Main Authors: Jin Feng, Beilei Zhang, Pin Du, Yahong Yuan, Mengting Li, Xiang Chen, Yanyang Guo, Hongwei Xie, Huayi Yin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2023-11-01
Series:iScience
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004223021740
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author Jin Feng
Beilei Zhang
Pin Du
Yahong Yuan
Mengting Li
Xiang Chen
Yanyang Guo
Hongwei Xie
Huayi Yin
author_facet Jin Feng
Beilei Zhang
Pin Du
Yahong Yuan
Mengting Li
Xiang Chen
Yanyang Guo
Hongwei Xie
Huayi Yin
author_sort Jin Feng
collection DOAJ
description Summary: The recovery of spent lithium-ion batteries has not only economic value but also ecological benefits. In this paper, molten-salt electrolysis was employed to recover spent LiCoO2 batteries, in which NaCl-Na2CO3 melts were used as the electrolyte, the graphite rod and the mixtures of the spent LiCoO2 cathode and anode were used as the anode and cathode, respectively. During the electrolysis, the LiCoO2 was electrochemically reduced to Co, and Li+ and O2− entered into the molten salt. The O2− was discharged at the anode to generate CO2 and formed Li2CO3. After electrolysis, the cathodic products were separated by magnetic separation to obtain Co and graphite, and Li2CO3 was recovered by water leaching. The recovery efficiencies of Li, Co, and graphite reached 99.3%, 98.1%, and 83.6%, respectively. Overall, this paper provides a simple and efficient electrochemical method for the simultaneous recovery of the cathode and the anode of spent LiCoO2 batteries.
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spelling doaj.art-4c3e7c4d7f284f3db4f2b672dd507f0c2023-10-18T04:31:26ZengElsevieriScience2589-00422023-11-012611108097Recovery of LiCoO2 and graphite from spent lithium-ion batteries by molten-salt electrolysisJin Feng0Beilei Zhang1Pin Du2Yahong Yuan3Mengting Li4Xiang Chen5Yanyang Guo6Hongwei Xie7Huayi Yin8Key Laboratory for Ecological Metallurgy of Multimetallic Mineral of Ministry of Education, School of Metallurgy, Northeastern University, 11 Wenhua Road, Heping District, Shenyang 110819, P.R. ChinaSchool of Materials Science and Engineering, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang 453007, P.R. ChinaKey Laboratory for Ecological Metallurgy of Multimetallic Mineral of Ministry of Education, School of Metallurgy, Northeastern University, 11 Wenhua Road, Heping District, Shenyang 110819, P.R. ChinaKey Laboratory for Ecological Metallurgy of Multimetallic Mineral of Ministry of Education, School of Metallurgy, Northeastern University, 11 Wenhua Road, Heping District, Shenyang 110819, P.R. ChinaKey Laboratory for Ecological Metallurgy of Multimetallic Mineral of Ministry of Education, School of Metallurgy, Northeastern University, 11 Wenhua Road, Heping District, Shenyang 110819, P.R. ChinaKey Laboratory for Ecological Metallurgy of Multimetallic Mineral of Ministry of Education, School of Metallurgy, Northeastern University, 11 Wenhua Road, Heping District, Shenyang 110819, P.R. ChinaKey Laboratory for Ecological Metallurgy of Multimetallic Mineral of Ministry of Education, School of Metallurgy, Northeastern University, 11 Wenhua Road, Heping District, Shenyang 110819, P.R. ChinaKey Laboratory for Ecological Metallurgy of Multimetallic Mineral of Ministry of Education, School of Metallurgy, Northeastern University, 11 Wenhua Road, Heping District, Shenyang 110819, P.R. ChinaKey Laboratory for Ecological Metallurgy of Multimetallic Mineral of Ministry of Education, School of Metallurgy, Northeastern University, 11 Wenhua Road, Heping District, Shenyang 110819, P.R. China; Key Laboratory of Data Analytics and Optimization for Smart Industry, Ministry of Education, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, P.R. China; School of Resource and Environmental Science, Wuhan University, 299 Bayi Road, Wuhan, Wuchang District 430072, P.R. China; Corresponding authorSummary: The recovery of spent lithium-ion batteries has not only economic value but also ecological benefits. In this paper, molten-salt electrolysis was employed to recover spent LiCoO2 batteries, in which NaCl-Na2CO3 melts were used as the electrolyte, the graphite rod and the mixtures of the spent LiCoO2 cathode and anode were used as the anode and cathode, respectively. During the electrolysis, the LiCoO2 was electrochemically reduced to Co, and Li+ and O2− entered into the molten salt. The O2− was discharged at the anode to generate CO2 and formed Li2CO3. After electrolysis, the cathodic products were separated by magnetic separation to obtain Co and graphite, and Li2CO3 was recovered by water leaching. The recovery efficiencies of Li, Co, and graphite reached 99.3%, 98.1%, and 83.6%, respectively. Overall, this paper provides a simple and efficient electrochemical method for the simultaneous recovery of the cathode and the anode of spent LiCoO2 batteries.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004223021740Electrochemical energy storageEngineeringEnergy resources
spellingShingle Jin Feng
Beilei Zhang
Pin Du
Yahong Yuan
Mengting Li
Xiang Chen
Yanyang Guo
Hongwei Xie
Huayi Yin
Recovery of LiCoO2 and graphite from spent lithium-ion batteries by molten-salt electrolysis
iScience
Electrochemical energy storage
Engineering
Energy resources
title Recovery of LiCoO2 and graphite from spent lithium-ion batteries by molten-salt electrolysis
title_full Recovery of LiCoO2 and graphite from spent lithium-ion batteries by molten-salt electrolysis
title_fullStr Recovery of LiCoO2 and graphite from spent lithium-ion batteries by molten-salt electrolysis
title_full_unstemmed Recovery of LiCoO2 and graphite from spent lithium-ion batteries by molten-salt electrolysis
title_short Recovery of LiCoO2 and graphite from spent lithium-ion batteries by molten-salt electrolysis
title_sort recovery of licoo2 and graphite from spent lithium ion batteries by molten salt electrolysis
topic Electrochemical energy storage
Engineering
Energy resources
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004223021740
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