Recycling of Lithium Iron Phosphate Cathode Materials from Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries: A Mini-Review

Abstract

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), successfully commercialized energy storage systems, are now the most advanced power sources for various electronic devices and the most potential option for power storage in e-vehicle applications. The usage of Li-ion batteries is rising proportionately to the significant growth in the global demand of LIBs. Given the present circumstances, recycling of used LIBs is essential for the recovery of less abundant resources and also to conserve the environment. Although the complete recovery of metal values from the black mass is still a major constraint in the recycling process, there have been various methodologies adopted for the efficient recycling of LIBs which mostly include pyrometallurgical and/or hydrometallurgical techniques. The major focus of this work, lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4, LFP), has grabbed massive attention with its increasing demand in e-vehicle industries owing to its safety and less use of nonabundantly available metals. Due to their high lithium content, spent LiFePO4 batteries have garnered a lot of research interest for their efficient recovery, thereby bringing higher economic gains. This review focuses exclusively on different methodologies and provides an overview on the recycling of LFPs through various pyrometallurgical, hydrometallurgical, and electrochemical processes by thoroughly analyzing the pertinent literature. With the aim of maximizing the recovery efficiencies of metals along with ambient reaction conditions, we can propose that hydrometallurgical methods were found to have a potential recycling route for LFPs compared to other methods. Thus, currently, the most promising method for LFP recycling appears to be mechanically treating the cells initially and then hydrometallurgically processing the active LFP cathode material. Thus, this review illustrates a comparative study of various methods for the effective recycling of LFPs for making it industrially applicable and environmentally friendly.

All-Component Recycling and Reuse Process for Spent LiFePO4 Cathodes

“…The leaching residue usually contains FePO 4 , conductive carbon, and poly­(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) binder, and most of the studies are devoted to the regeneration of LiFePO 4 cathode materials. , In the regeneration process, the residue was calcined in air to remove PVDF and conductive carbon, yielding pure FePO 4 . Subsequently, lithium sources and organic carbon were added as supplements to produce LiFePO 4 cathode materials.…”

Closed-loop recycling of lithium iron phosphate cathodic powders via citric acid leaching

“…Among LIBs, Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) batteries are becoming increasingly popular in the electric transport sector, since they high stability, increased safety and lower reliance on critical raw materials (Saju et al 2023), indeed they will exceed 30% of market share by 2030 (Wood Mackenzie 2020). However, the main bottleneck related to LFP batteries recycling is that the economic trade-off between potential revenues and recycling costs is unfavorable at fullscale (Mahandra and Ghahreman 2021).…”

Sustainable Approach for Critical Metals Recovery through Hydrometallurgical Processing of Spent Batteries Using Organic Acids

“…Electric vehicles use Li-ion batteries to supply energy to move and they are important to replace internal combustion engine vehicles and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. − The global sales of electric vehicles increased twice from 2020 to 2021, as the battery sales in this market, which is also used in electronic equipment . The demand is supplied by the extraction of natural resources, which culminate in other environmental impacts, such as freshwater use, land system change, social impacts, and pollution in mine location .…”