Recycling of Lithium-ion Batteries

Due to the rise in popularity of portable electronics, electric vehicles, and renewable energy storage systems, there has been a considerable growth in the demand for lithium-ion batteries. However, development has also resulted in environmental issues due to the mining of lithium from natural resources and the depletion of materials based on lithium. However, due to limited lithium supplies and an increase in lithium use of 18% from 2018 to 2019, lithium depletion is anticipated to occur soon. The creation of novel technologies for recycling lithium-ion batteries has therefore become crucial. Technology to recycle lithium-ion batteries has been developed because of this. In accordance with each stage and technique, this thesis focuses on the technologies that can recycle lithium compounds from EoL lithium-ion batteries. Pre-treatment and lithium extraction are the two processes, and lithium extraction is split into three methods: pyrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy, and electrochemical extraction. The three methods will be compared to investigate benefits, drawbacks, lithium extraction effectiveness, cost, environmental impact, and level of commercialization. It will be also outlined upcoming requirements for enhancing recycling technologies.