Recycling of anode active material from spent Li-ion batteries

Abstract

The increasing demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), primarily driven by their applications in electric vehicles, is anticipated to rise significantly in the foreseeable future. This notable success would demand it the urgent implementation of efficient recycling methods for LIBs at the end of their operational life. In this study, we present a novel approach characterized by a sustainable process aimed at regenerating graphite, the primary anode active material from the spent LIBs. Our investigation reveals that the structural and morphological properties of the regenerated graphite remain largely unchanged when compared to pristine commercial anode-grade graphite. Following this sustainable regeneration process, regenerated graphite demonstrated an impressive reversible specific capacity exceeding 355.6 mAh/g at 0.1C rate and also good cycling stability, maintaining a capacity retention of 98 % up to 100 cycles, which was comparable to the performance of reference half cells that utilize pristine commercial graphite. This study sheds light on a possible sustainable regeneration process for graphite anode materials in LIBs, while emphasizing the circular economy and waste management aspects of LIBs.