Scientists from China have developed a new way to recycle lithium batteries that is a triple win for the planet. It not only extracts nearly all the lithium for reuse but also traps carbon dioxide and converts the remaining metal waste into high-performance catalysts for generating green energy.
Lithium-ion batteries are increasingly used in everything from smartphones and laptops to electric vehicles and renewable energy storage grids. But spent batteries that aren't recycled properly are an environmental concern because they can leak toxic metals and flammable chemicals into soil and water. The global volume of these used batteries has been projected to reach 381 million metric tons by 2050.
Current recycling methods are problematic. Traditional heat-based methods use massive furnaces, but they consume a lot of energy, and much of the lithium is lost in the process. Other methods rely on harsh acids and chemicals to dissolve the metals, but this just creates another problem. Namely, large volumes of liquid toxic waste that are expensive to treat and can potentially leach into soil and water.
To address these challenges, a joint team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Beijing Institute of Technology developed a three-in-one process to recycle old batteries, as described in a paper published in Nature Communications.
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