Na2S2O3-Assisted Roasting Enabled a Cyclic Process of Selective Li Extraction from Retired LIBs
摘要
Recycling technologies for retired ternary lithium-ion batteries (rTLIB) are essential to reduce waste, ease Li, Ni, and Co shortages, and promote sustainable growth in China’s LIB industry. This paper presents a new method for selectively extracting Li from rTLIB using Na2S2O3-assisted roasting that participated in cyclic reactions during roasting and water leaching. Under carbothermic reduction, Li2CO3, metallic elements, and lower-valence metal oxides were formed. The addition of Na2S2O3 led to its decomposition at elevated temperatures, producing Na2SO4 and Na2S5. Na2SO4 sparingly converted Li2CO3 into more soluble lithium salts. In contrast, Na2S5 accelerated the carbothermic reduction process, simultaneously generating Na2SO4, which reentered the reaction cycle. Under optimized conditions, with m(Na2S2O3):m(rTLIB) of 1.12, the roasting condition was 800°C for 60 min, and water leaching was conducted at 90°C for 60 min. The leaching efficiency of Li reached 92.66%, with a selectivity of 99.27%. During the auxiliary roasting process, Na2S2O3 fully exerted its reductive properties, cyclically participating in the reactions to enhance the efficient and selective leaching of Li.