Pyrometallurgical Technology in the Recycling of a Spent Lithium Ion Battery: Evolution and the Challenge

TLDR

The rapid growth of the electric‑vehicle industry has created a large stockpile of spent lithium‑ion batteries, posing significant environmental risks, while pyrometallurgical recycling offers a low‑raw‑material, low‑liquid‑waste solution that has matured over decades. The study reviews the evolution of pyrometallurgical recycling methods for the three key components of spent lithium‑ion batteries and evaluates their strengths and weaknesses. It examines how pyrometallurgical processes are applied to binders/electrolytes, cathodes, and anodes, detailing the technical approaches used. The authors suggest that high‑value utilization through comprehensive resource recovery represents a promising direction for pyrometallurgical recycling of spent lithium‑ion batteries.

Abstract

The rapid development of the electric vehicle industry has spurred the prosperity of the lithium ion battery market, but the subsequent huge number of spent lithium ion batteries (SLIBs) may bring severe environmental problems. Because of the advantages of low raw material requirements and little waste liquid production, pyrometallurgical technology is suitable for recycling SLIBs in large-scale industrial applications. After decades of research, the practice of pyrometallurgical technology in related fields has developed a lot. There are three essential components of SLIBs, namely, binders and electrolytes, cathode, and anode. This article summarizes the development of pyrometallurgical technologies in dealing with these three parts and analyzes the strengths as well as weaknesses of each technology. Moreover, it reveals the evolution and the challenges of pyrometallurgical technology in recycling SLIBs. A high-value utilization with the characteristics of an overall resource utilization of waste batteries is a promising development direction for pyrometallurgical technology.