Recently, the team led by Academician Zhongwei Chen from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has made progress in the sustainable recycling of retired power batteries. They have broken through the current complex three-step process of extraction-precipitation-calcination, proposing a one-step retired lithium-ion battery cathode high-quality regeneration solution based on sustainable leaching and co-precipitation strategies. This new approach paves the way for the transformation of next-generation power battery cathode materials, reducing the cost of cathode materials by 38.3% and 73.6% respectively. The team has successfully developed a brand-new low-cost high-performance next-generation energy storage battery, which is expected to accelerate the promotion and application of advanced power battery recycling technologies, driving the rapid commercial development of the battery recycling industry. The related achievements have been published in "Nature Sustainability".
The schematic diagram of the battery research. Image provided by Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics.
With the continuous growth of China's lithium battery shipments, the first batch of power batteries entering the market in China is reaching the retirement period, based on an average lifespan of 5 to 8 years for power batteries. It is estimated that by 2026, the theoretical scale of lithium battery recycling in China will reach 2.312 million tons, making the lithium battery recycling industry an eye-catching "blue ocean market." However, at present, the specifications and shapes of phased-out power batteries vary, especially in terms of the composition of the battery cells, posing certain challenges for recycling and reuse.
In this study, the team proposes a low-cost, high-quality direct regeneration scheme for the positive electrode, which is expected to drive innovative development in commercial power battery recycling. The team uses a relatively environmentally friendly and low-cost organic acid solution to extract high-value elements from retired battery positive electrodes, effectively removing impurity elements that may have adverse effects on the subsequent regeneration process. Through co-precipitation regeneration processes, the regenerated ternary oxide positive electrode achieves a reversible areal capacity of 2.73mAh/cm2, surpassing the performance of current commercial ternary positive electrode materials. Additionally, the retired power battery positive electrode can be regenerated into low-cost NASICON sodium positive electrode materials, capable of stable operation for 1200 cycles. Calculated based on charging five times per month, this positive electrode material can operate stably for 20 years.
Furthermore, through life cycle analysis and techno-economic analysis, the team demonstrates that the use of regenerated materials to assemble a 1kWh battery pack will reduce costs by $21.65 and $41.67 per kilowatt-hour, respectively, and reduce the impact on human health, ecosystem quality, and resource scarcity.
Related paper information: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-024-01351-5
