Recycling Lithium‐Ion Battery Waste: A Meta‐Analysis of Production, Techniques, and Efficiency

The rapid growth in lithium‐ion battery (LIB) production—driven primarily by the electric vehicle(EV) and portable electronics sectors—has led to an unprecedented surge in end‐of‐life (EoL) batterywaste. This meta‐analysis synthesizes findings from approximately 10 global studies and reviews toevaluate the state‐of‐the‐art in LIB recycling. The analysis focuses on three core aspects: (1) theproduction and material flow dynamics of LIB waste; (2) recycling techniques, includingpyrometallurgical, hydrometallurgical, and direct recycling methods; and (3) the overall efficiency of theserecycling processes in terms of material recovery, energy consumption, and environmental impact. Ourreview shows that while pyrometallurgy remains the most industrially mature option, its high energydemand and suboptimal lithium recovery pose significant challenges. In contrast, hydrometallurgicaltechniques achieve high recovery rates for critical transition metals but produce large volumes ofwastewater, and emerging direct recycling methods promise to retain the electrochemical properties ofcathode materials with lower environmental burdens. Although direct recycling holds potential forincreased efficiency and cost‐savings, scale‐up and process standardization remain hurdles. The discussionalso highlights economic considerations and policy drivers, including regulatory mandates and investmenttrends aimed at achieving a circular battery economy. We conclude that a hybrid approach—integratingdirect recycling with optimized hydrometallurgical processes—could deliver improved material recoveryand lower emissions, provided that technological and economic challenges are addressed throughcoordinated global R&D efforts.