INDUSTRIAL PROCESSING OF LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES

In recent years, the consumption of lithium-based materials has increased several-fold due to the growing demand for lithium batteries worldwide. The lithium-ion battery market is growing steadily every year, and by 2024, the market size will reach the equivalent of US$54 billion. Currently, lithium metal is extracted from natural minerals, but this process requires a lot of energy. Moreover, lithium consumption increased by 18% from 2018 to 2019, and given the limited lithium reserves, it can be assumed that lithium depletion will be inevitable. This has led to the development of lithium recycling technologies from lithium-ion batteries. This paper discusses technologies that can recycle lithium compounds from spent lithium-ion batteries according to individual stages and methods. The stages are divided into pre-treatment and lithium extraction stages. The latter is divided into three main methods: pyrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy, and electrochemical separation. The processes, advantages, disadvantages, lithium recovery efficiency, cost, environmental pollution, and commercialization level of each method are compared and quantitatively analyzed. Despite the growing attention and development of various lithium recycling technologies, less than 1 percent of lithium is currently recycled. We hope that this paper will contribute to the improvement of lithium waste recycling technology and stimulate further interest and development in the field of lithium recycling.