Sustainable Hydrometallurgical Recycling from Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries and Industrial Solid Wastes

A Special Issue of Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352) belonging to the section "Materials for Energy Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2027 | Viewed by 72

Editor


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Guest Editor
National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Heavy Metals Pollutants Control and Resource Utilization, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063, China
Interests: spent lithium-ion battery; coal fly ash; solid waste resources recovery; high-alumina coal fly ash; lithium extraction solid residue; spent lithium iron phosphate batteries; spent lithium nickel–manganese–cobalt oxide batteries; spent cobalt oxide lithium batteries; waste graphite, industrial solid wastes

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the application of lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles, energy storage, and other important fields, it is foreseeable that the generation of spent lithium-ion batteries will increase significantly. In addition, with the rapid development of industry, other industrial solid wastes, such as coal fly ash and red mud, have also increased sharply. This Special Issue aims to share advances in the valuable component hydrometallurgical recovery methods from spent lithium iron phosphate batteries, spent lithium nickel–manganese–cobalt oxide batteries, spent cobalt oxide lithium batteries, waste graphite, lithium extraction solid residue, coal fly ash, and other industrial solid waste. The latest research progress reported in this Special Issue will provide theoretical and technical support for promoting the development of recycling industries for spent lithium-ion batteries, coal fly ash, and other industrial solid waste.

Dr. Chunli Liu
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • spent lithium-ion battery
  • coal fly ash
  • industrial solid waste
  • lithium extraction solid residue
  • resources recovery
  • hydrometallurgy

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

13 pages, 3890 KB  
Article
Kinetic Analysis of Simultaneous Leaching of Lithium, Iron, and Phosphorus from LiFePO4 Cathodes of Spent Batteries
by Haiqing Xu, Zhihong Zhang and Huaijin Zeng
Crystals 2026, 16(9), 587; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst16090587 - 11 Sep 2026
Abstract
The high-value recovery of valuable components from spent LiFePO4 (LFP) batteries is of considerable significance for both resource recycling and environmental conservation. This study systematically investigates the simultaneous sulfuric acid leaching of Li, Fe, and P from spent LFP cathode materials, integrating [...] Read more.
The high-value recovery of valuable components from spent LiFePO4 (LFP) batteries is of considerable significance for both resource recycling and environmental conservation. This study systematically investigates the simultaneous sulfuric acid leaching of Li, Fe, and P from spent LFP cathode materials, integrating process optimization with kinetic analysis. The effects of acid concentration, temperature, and stirring speed on the leaching behavior of Li, Fe, and P were evaluated to elucidate the underlying kinetic mechanisms. The results demonstrated that under optimal conditions—namely, a sulfuric acid concentration of 2.0 mol/L, a leaching temperature of 60 °C, and a stirring speed of 300 r/min—the leaching rates of Li, Fe, and P all exceeded 99.5%. Kinetic analysis revealed a diffusion-controlled leaching mechanism well described by the Avrami model, with a selective dissolution sequence of Li > Fe > P. The leaching of Li, Fe, and P exhibited apparent activation energies of 9.56 kJ/mol, 14.83 kJ/mol, and 12.82 kJ/mol, respectively. These findings provide theoretical support for the leaching and resource recovery of Li, Fe, and P from spent LFP cathode materials. Full article
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