Life Cycle Assessment of Direct Recycling for Cathode Active Materials

As transportation becomes further electrified, lithium-ion batteries are only increased in demand. Thus, to maintain the growth of transportation electrification, recycling of batteries is of great significance. Cathode active materials are the most valuable components in batteries and direct recycling has arisen as an potentially valuable recycling method for recovering cathode active materials. However, there is no comprehensive comparison of direct recycling methods to guide industrial applications. This research uses life cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental impacts of different direct recycling methods for cathode active materials based on the ReCiPe method and standardized processes. As a result, the most environmentally friendly direct recycling method for each cathode active material was found, which can help the further development of transportation electrification.