Developing a hydrometallurgical process to integrate a CAM synthesis step into the recycling process of spent Li-ion batteries containing nickel, cobalt and manganese

The demand for lithium-ion batteries (LiB) is expected to exponentially increase in the coming years with the need to store energy to accommodate the energy transition movement. The most used raw materials for cathodic materials for LiBs are nickel, manganese, and cobalt. These metals, along with lithium, are now considered critical due to their exhausted usage and increasing economic importance. Recycling methods are established to alleviate the pressure on the demand for these materials. Hydrometallurgical methods recover the cathode active materials (CAM) in their precursor form, while lithium is recovered with low yield and purity. This study aims to integrate a lithium-recovery step in the hydrometallurgical recovery process of spent LiBs by increasing the yield and purity of lithium. This can be done using two ways: precipitation with sodium carbonate or with carbon dioxide gas to obtain lithium carbonate. Optimal reaction parameters were noted with respect to the yield and purity of the lithium carbonate. The recovered Li2CO3 was relithiated with the recycled CAM to synthesize a NMC battery. To validate the integration of this recovery step to the hydrometallurgical process, electrochemical testing was done to assess the performance of the recycled battery. Lastly, the energy and chemical costs were determined to evaluate the economic viability of the lithium recovery step.