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Advanced Materials and Technologies for Saggar Manufacturing, Recycling, and Sustainable Utilization of Lithium/Sodium-Based Resources

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2026 | Viewed by 606

Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Interests: preparation of refractory materials; recycling of lithium battery cathode materials; high-value utilization of low-grade lithium-containing minerals

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Guest Editor Assistant
Yangtze Delta Region Academy of Beijing Institute of Technology, Jiaxing, China
Interests: the utilization of solid wastes; the recovery of spent batteries

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on cutting-edge advancements in the development and recycling of saggars (kiln furniture) for lithium-ion battery (LIB) and sodium-ion battery (SIB) cathode materials, alongside the sustainable chemical utilization of lithium-bearing minerals and resource recovery from lithium-containing solid wastes. With the rapid development of the energy storage industry and power batteries, there is an urgent need for efficient and environmentally friendly material synthesis, processing, and circular economy practice strategies. Topics of interest include but are not limited to the design of durable, high-temperature-resistant saggars for cathode material calcination; recycling technologies for spent saggars and electrode materials; the extraction and purification of lithium from ores (e.g., spodumene) and industrial residues; and innovative approaches for upcycling solid wastes (e.g., lithium slag, end-of-life batteries) into functional materials. We welcome contributions exploring novel synthesis routes, waste-to-resource conversion mechanisms, life-cycle assessment, and AI-driven optimization for process efficiency.

This Special Issue aims to bridge fundamental research and industrial applications, promoting green engineering solutions for the entire energy materials value chain.

Dr. Zhenhua Sun
Guest Editor

Dr. Aolei Gao
Guest Editor Assistant

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Keywords

  • saggar manufacturing and recycling
  • lithium-ion battery cathode materials
  • sodium-ion battery materials
  • lithium-bearing mineral utilization
  • solid waste resource recovery
  • circular economy
  • high-temperature materials
  • sustainable energy materials
  • waste valorization
  • green processing technologies

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 4517 KB  
Article
Recycling of Spent LiFePO4 Batteries Using Ultrasonic-Assisted Reducing Leaching
by Yi-Fan Gao, Rong-Liang Zhang, Jia-Xiang Liu, Ruo-Lan Ma, Wen Pan, Guang-Hui Fan and Li Tao
Materials 2026, 19(14), 3004; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19143004 - 13 Jul 2026
Viewed by 270
Abstract
The application of a huge number of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) to electric vehicles has produced much solid waste. If not disposed properly, the solid waste may cause environmental pollution and is, per se, a waste of resources. Therefore, recycling valuable metals from LIBs [...] Read more.
The application of a huge number of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) to electric vehicles has produced much solid waste. If not disposed properly, the solid waste may cause environmental pollution and is, per se, a waste of resources. Therefore, recycling valuable metals from LIBs is considered an ideal option for preventing environmental pollution and alleviating waste. Taking sulfuric acid (H2SO4) as the leaching agent and glucose (C6H12O6) as the reducing agent, the ultrasonic-assisted reducing leaching was used to recycle lithium (Li) and iron (Fe) from spent lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries. Based on experimental results of conventional leaching, the research aimed to examine the influence of ultrasonic treatment on leaching rates of Li and Fe. Results show that the leaching rates of Li and Fe are separately 96.53% and 96.8% when the concentration of H2SO4 is 2 mol/L, the concentration of C6H12O6 is 2 mol/L, the liquid–solid ratio is 15 mL/g, leaching temperature is 70 °C, leaching time is 60 min, and ultrasonic power is 100 W. Compared with conventional leaching, the leaching rates of Li and Fe separately increase by 10.84% and 12.33% through ultrasonic-assisted leaching under the same experimental conditions. Kinetics analysis of ultrasonic-assisted reducing leaching indicates that the activation energies of Li and Fe are 10.84 kJ/mol and 16.24 kJ/mol, respectively. The ultrasonic-assisted reducing leaching process of Li and Fe from LFP batteries is controlled by diffusion. Full article
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