Green Recycling Methods to Treat Lithium‐Ion Batteries E‐Waste: A Circular Approach to Sustainability

Abstract

E‐waste generated from end‐of‐life spent lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) is increasing at a rapid rate owing to the increasing consumption of these batteries in portable electronics, electric vehicles, and renewable energy storage worldwide. On the one hand, landfilling and incinerating LIBs e‐waste poses environmental and safety concerns owing to their constituent materials. On the other hand, scarcity of metal resources used in manufacturing LIBs and potential value creation through the recovery of these metal resources from spent LIBs has triggered increased interest in recycling spent LIBs from e‐waste. State of the art recycling of spent LIBs involving pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy processes generates considerable unwanted environmental concerns. Hence, alternative innovative approaches toward the green recycling process of spent LIBs are essential to tackle large volumes of spent LIBs in an environmentally friendly way. Such evolving techniques for spent LIBs recycling based on green approaches, including bioleaching, waste for waste approach, and electrodeposition, are discussed here. Furthermore, the ways to regenerate strategic metals post leaching, efficiently reprocess extracted high‐value materials, and reuse them in applications including electrode materials for new LIBs. The concept of “circular economy” is highlighted through closed‐loop recycling of spent LIBs achieved through green‐sustainable approaches.

Comprehensive Characterization of Shredded Lithium‐Ion Battery Recycling Material

“…[7][8][9][10][11] However, to lower the overall ecological footprint of LIBs, also recycling process need to be improved or even regulated regarding sustainability for example by moving towards circular processes. [12,13] One current state-of-the-art LIB recycling procedure can start with deactivation and shredding of the spent battery modules. After discharge and dismantling, modules are shredded under inert conditions to avoid thermal runaways and volatile electrolyte residues are removed.…”

“…Therefore, recycling of LIBs will play an important role, not only to further reduce the ecological footprint of electromobility, but also for a more secured raw material supply of geographically unevenly distributed elements like cobalt and nickel [7–11] . However, to lower the overall ecological footprint of LIBs, also recycling process need to be improved or even regulated regarding sustainability for example by moving towards circular processes [12,13] …”

Grid-Connected Energy Storage Systems: State-of-the-Art and Emerging Technologies

“…In this regard, TES/Green Li-ion (Singapore), Brunp/GEM (China), SMCC Recycling (South Korea), American Battery Technology/ReCell Center/Retriev/Redwood Materials (USA), Li-cycle (Canada), Primobius (Australia), and Recupyl/Akkuser/Duesenfeld/Solvay/Northvolt/BASF/Veolia/ Enel Group/Stena Recycling/ReLIB/Reneos/Elemental Holding/Powervault/Umicore (Europe) are leaders in the field [168], [169]. Singapore, in particular, is eyeing itself as an e-waste recycling hub using benign hydrometallurgical processes to achieve this purpose (SCARCE) [170], [171].…”

Synergistic Effects in Ultrafine Molybdenum–Tungsten Bimetallic Carbide Hollow Carbon Architecture Boost Hydrogen Evolution Catalysis and Lithium‐Ion Storage

“…Extensive efforts were made to fabricate high-efficient electrochemical catalysis and anode materials with high energy density. [2][3][4][5] Transition metal carbides (TMCs) as a non-noble metal material have become a research hotspot due to their appealed advantages of reliable mechanical properties, high conductivity, and good reactivity. [6][7][8] For instance, molybdenum carbide and tungsten carbide with a similar d-band center to Pt are regarded as a promising material for HER catalysts.…”