Microwave-assisted non-destructive recycling of cathode active materials and aluminium foil from spent lithium-ion...

In the present study, a green delamination strategy is proposed for the efficient recovery of aluminium foil (AF) and cathode active materials (CAM) from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) using a citric acid-based system under microwave irradiation (MI). The synergistic effect of dielectric heating and chemical interactions promotes interfacial dissolution, enabling rapid and uniform detachment of the CAM and AF.XPS analysis of the recovered AF confirmed the presence of a protective Al₂O₃ layer, which prevents the AF from further dissolution. A comparison of MI power levels ranging from 200-700 W demonstrates effective separation performance. The delamination at lower and higher powers is comparable and is successful in achieving a separation efficiency of >99.4 ± 0.5 %. SEM-EDAX also confirm the preservation of intact AF and a recovery of high purity CAM and AF. Structural preservation of CAM and AF are confirmed by XRD diffractograms. In addition, ICP-MS results quantify a separation efficiency of 98.15 ± 2.7 and 98.45 ± 2.3 % for Co and Li respectively. FTIR analysis confirms the structural intactness of citric acid during the delamination process. Preservation of both the delamination reagent and aluminium foil makes the proposed technique a more sustainable alternative to traditional processes, with lower time, energy and solvent demands.