Molten salt infiltration–oxidation synergistic controlled lithium extraction from spent lithium iron phosphate batteries: an efficient, acid free, and closed-loop strategy†
Abstract
The current soaring market for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in energy storage devices has promoted the recycling and utilization of secondary resources, including retired LIBs. However, current recycling technologies are confronted with numerous deficiencies in balancing extraction efficiency, energy consumption, emissions, and profit. Here, we propose a well-designed thermal oxidation strategy for pyro-process-based Li extraction from spent LiFePO4 (S-LFP), which involves the application of a molten sulfate infiltration–oxidation synergistically controlled reaction occurring at a low temperature (300 °C) and constitutes a one-step preparation with high lithium recovery (>99%) and a high-value iron phosphate (FPO) product. The regenerated LiFePO4 (R-LFP) materials as recycled products exhibit an excellent discharge capacity (136.2 mA h g−1 at 1C) and cycling stability (98.9% capacity retention after 100 cycles). The economic analysis verifies a profit increase of 155% per kilogram and an emission decrease of 216% for this strategy compared with traditional hydrometallurgical processes. The proposed approach is particularly appealing due to its high profit, industrial feasibility, and environmental benefits.
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