Value-creating upcycling of retired electric vehicle battery cathodes

Guannan Qian; Zhiyuan Li; Yong Wang; Xianyu Xie; Yushi He; Jizhou Li; Yanhua Zhu; Sijie Xie; Zhenjie Cheng; Haiying Che; Yanbin Shen; Liwei Chen; Xiaojing Huang; Piero Pianetta; Zi-Feng Ma; Yijin Liu; Linsen Li

Cell Reports Physical Science (Feb 2022)

Value-creating upcycling of retired electric vehicle battery cathodes

Guannan Qian,
Zhiyuan Li,
Yong Wang,
Xianyu Xie,
Yushi He,
Jizhou Li,
Yanhua Zhu,
Sijie Xie,
Zhenjie Cheng,
Haiying Che,
Yanbin Shen,
Liwei Chen,
Xiaojing Huang,
Piero Pianetta,
Zi-Feng Ma,
Yijin Liu,
Linsen Li

Affiliations

Guannan Qian: Department of Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Electrochemical Energy Device Research Center (SEED), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China; Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
Zhiyuan Li: Department of Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Electrochemical Energy Device Research Center (SEED), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Yong Wang: Department of Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Electrochemical Energy Device Research Center (SEED), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Xianyu Xie: Shanghai Motor Vehicle Inspection Certification & Technology Innovation Center Co., LTD, Shanghai 201805, China
Yushi He: Department of Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Electrochemical Energy Device Research Center (SEED), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Jizhou Li: Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
Yanhua Zhu: Instrument Analysis Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Sijie Xie: Suzhou Institute of Nanotech and Nanobionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
Zhenjie Cheng: Suzhou Institute of Nanotech and Nanobionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
Haiying Che: Department of Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Electrochemical Energy Device Research Center (SEED), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Yanbin Shen: Suzhou Institute of Nanotech and Nanobionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
Liwei Chen: Suzhou Institute of Nanotech and Nanobionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China; In-Situ Center for Physical Sciences, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Xiaojing Huang: National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973, USA
Piero Pianetta: Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
Zi-Feng Ma: Department of Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Electrochemical Energy Device Research Center (SEED), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Yijin Liu: Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA; Corresponding author
Linsen Li: Department of Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Electrochemical Energy Device Research Center (SEED), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China; Shanghai Jiao Tong University Sichuan Research Institute, Chengdu 610213, China; Corresponding author

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 3, no. 2
p. 100741

Abstract

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Summary: The electrification revolution in the automobile and other industries demands annual production capacity of batteries of at least 102 GWh, which presents a twofold challenge: supply of key materials such as cobalt and nickel and recycling when batteries are retired from use. Pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical recycling are currently used in industry but suffer from complexity, high costs, and secondary pollution. Here we report a molten-salt-based method for direct recycling (MSDR) that is environmentally benign and creates value on the basis of a techno-economic analysis using real-world data and price information. We also experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of MSDR by upcycling a low-nickel polycrystalline LiNi0.5Mn0.3Co0.2O2 (NMC) cathode material into Ni-rich (Ni > 65%) single-crystal NMCs with increased energy density (>10% increase) and outstanding electrochemical performance (>94% capacity retention after 500 cycles). This work may open opportunities for closed-loop recycling of electric vehicle batteries and manufacturing of next-generation NMC cathode materials.

Published in Cell Reports Physical Science

ISSN: 2666-3864 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Science: Physics
Website: https://www.cell.com/cell-reports-physical-science

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