December 1 - 6, 2024
Boston, Massachusetts
Symposium Supporters
2024 MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit
EN06.05.06

Redox-Mediated Flow Cell System for Direct Recovery of Spent Lithium Iron Phosphate

When and Where

Dec 4, 2024
4:00pm - 4:15pm
Hynes, Level 3, Room 307

Presenter(s)

Co-Author(s)

Zhiyu Wang1,Songpeng Huang1,Qing Wang1

National University of Singapore1

Abstract

Zhiyu Wang1,Songpeng Huang1,Qing Wang1

National University of Singapore1
The widespread application of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), particularly those based on lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode material, has led to significant environmental challenges due to their disposal. Traditional recycling techniques, such as pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical processes, are energy-intensive, costly, and environmentally unfriendly. LIB capacity deterioration primarily occurs through damage to the active material (e.g., irreversible phase transitions, particle cracking) and loss of carrier ions, with the latter being more common in temperature-controlled systems used in large-scale applications.<br/>This study introduces a novel redox-mediated electrochemical approach for the direct recovery of spent LFP materials by restoring the lost lithium. With a regenerative flow cell system, spent LFP materials are compositionally recovered with the addition of lithium sources (i.e., LiOH) mediated by redox-active species. The system could operate at a large scale and low cost. Characterization of the recovered LFP confirms that its electrochemical properties and structural integrity are comparable to the pristine LFP, with fully restored capacity, good capacity retention, and rate performance.<br/>This redox-mediated electrochemical recovery method offers significant advantages over conventional direct recycling approaches in terms of reaction rate and operation flexibility. We anticipate it provides a viable solution for the valorization of end-of-life LIBs, contributing to a circular economy and reducing the environmental impact of battery waste.

Symposium Organizers

Patrick Cappillino, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Aaron Hollas, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Pan Wang, Westlake University
Xiaoliang Wei, Purdue University

Symposium Support

Silver
Neware Technology LLC Bronze
Zhejiang ERG Energy Co., Ltd.

Session Chairs

Song Jin
Xiaoliang Wei

In this Session