Direct recycling of spent Li-ion batteries: innovative processes for sustainable cathode regeneration

The rapid expansion of the global lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) market has created significant challenges, including a massive shortage of raw materials and a huge quantity of spent batteries. However, because these used batteries contain highly valuable metals, the industry increasingly views them as a vital secondary resource rather than waste. This has created a powerful economic and ecological mandate to develop innovative recycling technologies capable of recovering these materials and securing a sustainable, closed-loop supply chain.
In contrast to conventional high-temperature pyro- and hydro-metallurgical recycling processes, direct recycling of spent LIBs offers a more appealing solution by regenerating electrode active materials without decomposing their crystal structures into constituent elements. This approach not only reduces processing cost, but also lowers the consumption of energy, chemicals and resources required for the materials recovery. By avoiding energy-intensive smelting and leaching steps, direct recycling provides a more sustainable, closed-loop strategy for electrode active materials reuse.
In this talk, I will discuss current strategies and emerging technologies for the direct recycling of end-of-life LIBs. Furthermore, I will present an efficient