LAREX-Tupy Process: Recycling of Li-Ion Batteries from Electric Vehicles by Hydrometallurgical Route Towards Circular Economy

The risk in supply chain of critical raw materialsMaterials as nickelNickel, cobaltCobalt, and lithium put pressure for the search of new sources to attend the demand of low-carbon technologiesTechnology. RecyclingRecycling is important to promote the circular economy and increase their supply. The main challengeChallenges of Li-ion batteriesBatteries recyclingRecycling from electric vehicles is the possibility to recyclingRecycling most of all types of batteriesBatteries in a flexible processFlexible process. This work presents a flexible hydrometallurgical processProcess to recover metalsMetals from different types of batteriesBatteries, including NMCNMC, NCANCA, and LFPLFP batteriesBatteries. The processProcess recovers plastics and case materialMaterials after physical treatment. LeachingLeaching using acids extracts over 95% of the metalsMetals present in the cathode. Separation and purification steps obtain different products. Different possibilities are presented, considering precipitationPrecipitation, solvent extractionSolvent extraction, and electrodialysis. Products with purity between 90 and 98% may be obtained from cathode materialsMaterials, including the resynthesis of cathode.