A green and cost-effective mechanochemical approach for selective lithium recovery from spent lithium-ion batteries

The escalating demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) underscores the imperative for the development of highly efficient and environmentally sustainable recycling methodologies. Traditional pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical methods suffer from high energy consumption, reagent use, and environmental impact. In this research, we introduce an innovative mechanochemical (MC) methodology aiming at the selective recovery Li from spent LIBs, accompanied by the concurrent minimization Ni, Co, and Mn contents. The MC reaction facilitates the deintercalation of Li, followed by NaOH leaching, optimizing conventional acid leaching. Sodium citrate (Na 3 Cit) is employed as a reusable and cost-effective grinding aid, effectively reducing reagent consumption and eliminating the generation of waste liquids. The reusability of Na 3 Cit has been further substantiated, as evidenced by the maintenance of its selective separation efficiency for lithium across five consecutive cycles without notable decline. Under the conditions of optimal performance, the efficiency of lithium separation attains 98.6 %, accompanied by recovery rates of 98.59 % for lithium, 99.01 % for nickel, 99.02 % for cobalt, and 99.04 % for manganese, respectively. Compared with traditional pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical methods, the proposed method improves the profit of 2.07 and 1.33 $/kg waste lithium-ion batteries, respectively. Introducing MC technology, we unveil a recycling solution for spent LIBs thats not only highly efficient and cost-effective but also gentle on our planets ecosystem. This method also holds the potential for recovering other valuable metals, contributing to green resource recovery technologies. • This work does not use acid leaching and is environmentally friendly. • Na 3 Cit can be recycled as a grinding aid, further reducing costs. • This work preferentially extracts Li + with high separation efficiency.