Ultra-Low Emission Cathode Recycling Enabled by Programmed Adaptive Pulse Joule Heating

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Sustainable recycling of critical metals from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is vital for electrification and supply chain security.
• Conventional pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical methods have limitations regarding energy consumption and environmental impact.
• Joule-heating technologies offer a promising alternative for LIB recycling.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an advanced Joule-heating platform for efficient and low-emission recovery of critical metals from LIBs.
• To integrate real-time thermal feedback and reaction-pathway regulation to optimize the recycling process.
• To reduce energy input, external reductant use, and greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions in LIB recycling.

Main Methods:

• Development of a programmed adaptive pulse Joule heating (PJH) platform for digitally guided, self-regulating thermal reduction.
• Real-time thermal feedback and adaptive current modulation to maintain an optimized temperature trajectory.
• Isotope-tracing analysis to confirm intrinsic carbon-mediated pathways and life-cycle assessment (LCA) for GHG footprint evaluation.

Main Results:

• PJH achieved selective in situ reductive recovery of critical metals via intrinsic carbon-mediated pathways.
• Isotope tracing confirmed the incorporation of intrinsic carbon into carbonate products.
• Life-cycle assessment indicated a low GHG footprint (2.90 kg CO2 eq. kg-1).
• Battery-grade lithium carbonate (>99.5%) was selectively recovered via acid-free leaching after 20s heat treatment.
• Preliminary scale-up demonstrated PJH's potential for broader application in recycling diverse lithium-containing resources.

Conclusions:

• Adaptive PJH integrates thermal feedback with low-carbon process design for selective LIB recycling.
• This technology offers a potential route toward selective and low-emission recycling of cathode materials.
• PJH represents a significant advancement in sustainable critical metal recovery from spent LIBs.