Lithium-Ion Battery Processes from a Circular Economy Point of View

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are nowadays one of the most important electrochemical storage devices, powering electronic mobile devices and electric vehicles. Lithium batteries are characterized by high specific energy, high efficiency, and long life. Their specific properties have increased the consumer electronics market, with production in the order of billions of units per year. The first attempts to create lithium batteries were made in 1970. After primary cells, secondary (rechargeable) lithium batteries were made in the 1980s. In order to meet the increasing demand for LIBs, recycling and/or reuse becomes essential, as in addition to reducing the environmental impact of LIBs, they mitigate the challenges of the scarcity of lithium (Li) and other metals such as cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), and manganese (Mn). Unfortunately, at the end of life of LIB batteries, only a limited number of them are recycled and a large percentage end up in landfills. Further losses of LIB components occur because state-of-the-art LIB recycling processes are limited to components of high economic value such as Co, Cu, Fe, and Al. In the Circular Economy (CE) concept, new LIB recycling systems have been proposed with the aim to reducing the environmental impact associated with LIB production. This book chapter aims at conducting an extensive analysis of some end-of-life recycling technologies through existing and emerging processes that contribute to sustainability, and the Circular Economy (CE) will therefore be done. According to the methodology of the RecycLib technology, there are three processing stages of which the first one can also be divided into additional processes of cleaning and drying discharged cells, while it is considered an upstream technology with the main objective of significantly reducing waste production, through closed loops for the whole of cell parts and accessories. RecycLib as a hydrometallurgical recycling method, as shown below, has many advantages due to the absence of toxic and corrosive reagents, the absence of a cell combustion stage, and so on. It also follows end-of-life (EoL) principles to transition to the Circular Economy (CE). However, there are still knowledge gaps due to insufficient comparison data that motivate future research.