Battery metal recycling by flash Joule heating

• DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh5131
• Publication Date: 2023-09-27T17:59:10Z
• Authors: Weiyin Chen; Jinhang Chen; Ksenia V. Bets; Rodrigo V. Salvat...; Kevin M. Wyss; Guanhui Gao; Chi Hun Choi; Bing Deng; Xin Wang; John Tianci Li; Carter Kittrell; Nghi La; Lucas Eddy; Phelecia Scotland; Yi Cheng; Shichen Xu; Bowen Li; Mason B. Tomson; Yimo Han; Boris I. Yakobson; James M. Tour
• Keywords: Physical and Materials Sciences; 7. Clean energy; 12. Responsible consumption

The staggering accumulation of end-of-life lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and the growing scarcity battery metal sources have triggered an urgent call for effective recycling strategy. However, it is challenging to reclaim these metals with both high efficiency low environmental footprint. We use here a pulsed dc flash Joule heating (FJH) strategy that heats black mass, combined anode cathode, >2100 kelvin within seconds, leading ~1000-fold increase in subsequent leaching kinetics. There are recovery yields all metals, regardless their chemistries, using even diluted acids like 0.01 M HCl, thereby lessening secondary waste stream. ultrafast temperature achieves thermal decomposition passivated solid electrolyte interphase valence state reduction hard-to-dissolve compounds while mitigating diffusional loss volatile metals. Life cycle analysis versus present methods shows FJH significantly reduces footprint spent LIB processing turning into economically attractive process.