A comprehensive study on reutilizing recovered Li2CO3 in the direct recycling of lithium-ion batteries

The recycling of Lithium-Ion Batteries (LIBs) holds promise for addressing the scarcity of lithium resources and the environmental impacts of their extraction. This study investigates reusing recovered Li 2 CO 3 in a direct LIB recycling. Li 2 CO 3 recovery is achieved through reduction roasting and water leaching. Two distinct methods, heat and solvent debinding, are used for separation of spent cathode powders and employing them in a solid-state reconstruction reaction, using both laboratory-grade and recovered Li 2 CO 3 , to reconstruct cathode structures. Under optimized conditions, Li 2 CO 3 recovery efficiency reaches 92.6 wt%. The solid-state reconstruction reaction at 850 °C and 900 ℃ for the cathode separated by heating and dimethylformamide solvent debinding, respectively, alongside laboratory-grade Li 2 CO 3 , lead to successful cathode structure reconstruction and direct recycling. Notably, the samples reconstructed with recovered Li₂CO₃ retained over 93.44% of the capacity compared to those using laboratory-grade Li₂CO₃. These findings validate the competency of recovered Li 2 CO 3 in cathode structure reconstruction and direct LIB recycling. • Recovered Li 2 CO 3 from used smartphone LIBs via roasting and leaching. • Explored factors affecting Li 2 CO 3 recovery in recycling process. • Achieved an impressive 92.6% Li 2 CO 3 recovery efficiency. • Restored cathode using lab-grade and recycled Li 2 CO 3 via solid-state reaction. • Recycled Li 2 CO 3 closely matches lab-grade, retains >93.44% capacity.