Green Chemical and Intelligent Method for Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 315
Editor
Interests: mineral processing; recycling; e-waste; secondary resource recovery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The surge in electric vehicles and portable consumer electronics has promoted the accumulation of spent lithium-ion batteries (S-LIBs) that require sustainable disposal to support the enforcement of stricter regulations, minimize waste, and promote green and intelligent battery recycling at high efficiency and cost-effectiveness. LIBs contain both valuable critical metals like Li, Co, and Ni and toxic materials, making recycling essential to reduce waste, preserve the environment, and conserve resources for sustainability. To minimize the environmental impact and support a circular economy, exploration of state-of-the art green chemistries and intelligent LIBs recycling methods for various batteries, from collecting to material recovery, is gaining significant importance.
Pioneering green and intelligent LIB-recycling cutting-edge technologies in the collection&sorting; discharging&deactivation; dismantling&pretreatment; hydrometallurgy; solvometallurgy; direct recycling; and refinement&material recovery steps are crucial. Implementing a closed-loop green technological advancement in battery recycling to recover metals from S-LIBs and production scrap propels the battery market and redefines e-waste management.
The best green LIBs recycling process holds the largest market share due to its high metal recovery, selective metal extraction, minimum energy/water use, lowest costs, and lower environmental impact, for its sustainability and economic advantages. Varied battery chemistry, high cost for small-scale operations, safety risks, regulatory gaps, modular plants, and automation will be challenges in S-LIB recycling. Hydrometallurgy, using organic reagents/ionic liquids/deep eutectic solvents and food waste reducing agents, and bioleaching for low-energy and green extraction, will be a future trend in S-LIB recycling for the green energy transition. Demand is shifting toward scalable, automated, and modular recycling solutions that optimize resource recovery and reduce processing costs.
Prof. Dr. Muammer Kaya
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- LIB
- e-waste
- battery recycling
- critical metals
- black mass
- cathode active material
- automated sorting
- hydrometallurgy
- pyrometallurgy
- direct recycling
- bioleaching
- green chemistry
- discharge
- dismantle
- circular economy
- sustainability
- closed-loop recycling
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