Environmentally Friendly Recovery of Lithium from Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

In the context of the rising demand for electric storage systems, lithium-sulfur batteries provide an attractive solution for low-weight and high-energy battery systems. Considering circular economy for new technologies, it is necessary to assure the raw material requirements for future generations. Therefore, metallurgical recycling processes are required. Since lithium is the central and most valuable element used in lithium-sulfur batteries, this study presents an environmentally friendly and safe process for lithium recovery as lithium carbonate. The developed and experimentally performed process is a combination of thermal and hydrometallurgical methods. Firstly, the battery cells are thermally deactivated to mechanically extract black mass. Then, water leaching of the black mass in combination with using CO2, instead of emitting it, can mobilize lithium by >90% as solid product.

Automated summary

Due to the increasing demand for electric storage systems, lithium-sulfur batteries have become an attractive solution for low-weight and high-energy battery systems. In order to ensure the raw material requirements for future generations and promote circular economy, metallurgical recycling processes are necessary. This study presents an environmentally friendly and safe process for lithium recovery, combining thermal and hydrometallurgical methods.