2024-08-25 06:00:16
Lithium-ion batteries are at the heart of the energy transition, powering everything from mobile phones to electric vehicles. However, growing demand for lithium could soon outstrip supply, exacerbated by targets carbon neutrality and geopolitical tensions. Currently, the recycling of lithium is both ineffective and harmful to theenvironmentwith conventional methods that struggle to recover more than 5% of the metal.
Rice University researchers led by Pulickel Ajayan have developed a revolutionary method to extract lithium from battery waste using microwaves and a biodegradable solvent. The technique can recover up to 50 percent of the lithium in just 30 seconds, a major advance over traditional processes. Advanced Functional Materialsthe review scientist who published this study, underlines that this innovation could transform battery recycling lithium-ion. Conventional recycling methods often rely on harsh acids or environmentally friendly solvents such as deep eutectic solvents (DES), which have proven to be expensive and ineffective. These processes are also very energy intensive, rarely recovering more than 5% of the lithium due to losses and contamination. To overcome these challenges, Rice’s team chose a DES composed of choline chloride and ethylene glycol, which can surround the lithium ions and extract them into solution.
Salma Alhashim, co-lead author of the study, explains that choline chloride, one of the components of DES, effectively absorbs microwaves, allowing the mixture to heat up quickly. By submerging the battery waste in this solvent and exposing it to microwaves, the researchers were able to selectively extract lithium, separating it from other metals such as cobalt or nickel.
The use of microwaves for this process is comparable to that of a domestic microwave oven, where energy is transferred directly to the molecules, thus accelerating the reaction. This method allows to achieve recovery rates similar to those obtained with conventional methods, but in only 15 minutes compared to 12 hours with an oil bath.
One of the main advantages of this approach is the stability of the solvent. Indeed, because the oil bath requires a long treatment time, the solvent begins to decompose, while this problem is avoided thanks to the short heating cycles offered by microwaves. This advancement could significantly improve the economic and environmental impact of lithium-ion battery recycling, providing a sustainable solution to a growing global problem.
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