Study on selective recovery of lithium from cathode materials of decommissioned lithium batteries and its impact on corporate economic and environmental benefits

With the accelerated depletion of non-renewable resources and increased demand for lithium batteries, green recycling of lithium has become a key issue nowadays. In this study, the effects of the mass ratio of potassium persulfate to the active material of battery cathode material, roasting temperature, time, liquid-solid ratio and leaching time on the leaching rate of lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese were investigated. For lithium-cobalt oxide battery materials, the optimal conditions were a mass ratio of K₂S₂O₇ to LiCoO₂ of 2:3, a roasting temperature of 700 °C for 60 min, and a lithium leaching rate of 98.51% and a selective leaching rate of 99.86%. For the ternary material NCM523, the optimal conditions were 1:2 mass ratio, and the lithium leaching rate reached 98.97%. The method has a positive corporate environmental impact by reducing the need for hazardous chemicals, lowering waste and operating costs, and avoiding harmful emissions. It is scalable and cost-effective and meets the needs of the battery recycling industry for environmentally friendly resource recovery. The K₂S₂O₇roasting-water leaching process proposed in this study effectively overcomes the problems of acid depletion and environmental pollution in the traditional recovery process, and provides a green and sustainable solution for the efficient recovery of lithium in lithium batteries in the future.