Electrochemical reprocessing of metals using eutectic solvents (ESs) is a promising approach due to its availability, cost-effectiveness, ease of preparation, and environmental benefits. However, a significant challenge associated with ESs is their tendency to absorb moisture from the atmosphere, which can impede and alter electrochemical recovery processes. Here, we examine a novel electrochemical method for...
As Sodium-ion battery (SIB) technology progresses toward commercial viability, sustainable end-of-life (EOL) management is critical. Methods for recycling key components such as hard carbon (HC), a negative electrode material, remain underexplored. This study introduces a direct and efficient recycling approach for HC from production scrap and EOL cells using “ice-stripping” followed by a low-temperature binder...
Long-loop recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries is neither sustainable nor economical at scale. In the absence of design-to-recycle initiatives taken up by cell manufacturers, even for batteries produced today, all-in-one shredding processes are the only practical option to achieve circularity of critical materials. Shredding lithium-ion batteries ultimately produces ‘black mass’ – a low-value commodity comprising...
Electric vehicles are increasingly being adopted in Great Britain and other parts of the world, driven by the perception that they offer a cost-effective alternative to internal combustion engine vehicles while reducing emissions. However, a key element that underpins this perception is the longevity of electric vehicles, which remains relatively under researched. Here we show...
With various battery directives necessitating the composition of recycled electrode materials this study manufactures anodes containing various ratios of pristine and reclaimed graphite from end-of-life (EOL) cells. Two approaches that can be used to delaminate graphite are using ultrasonication (USD) and simple water delamination (WD). X-ray micro-computed tomography is used to characterize the graphite particles...
Ultrasonic delamination is a low energy approach for direct recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries. The efficiency of the ultrasonic delamination relies both on the thermophysical properties (such as viscosity, surface tension, and vapour pressure) of the solvent in which the delamination process is carried out, and the properties of the ultrasound source as well as...