Sustainable Recycling of Industrial By-Products and Spent Batteries

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue on "Sustainable Recycling of Industrial By-Products and Spent Batteries" focuses on innovative methods for reclaiming valuable materials from industrial waste and used batteries, aligning with principles of sustainability and the circular economy. The increasing demand for critical metals, such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese, necessitates the development of efficient recycling strategies to meet the needs of green transitions in transportation and other sectors.

The issue spotlights advances in hydrometallurgy, pyrometallurgy, solvometallurgy, and direct regeneration, with particular focus on solution chemistry, complexation behavior, redox mechanisms, and selective recovery processes. Articles explore the reaction mechanisms, material transformations, and physicochemical interactions that underpin these recycling pathways, as well as green solvents such as deep eutectic solvents (DESs) and bio-based lixiviants.

A strong emphasis of this special issue is placed on the recovery and re-synthesis of cathode materials from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), with discussions on crystallization control, surface passivation, and structure–property relationships in recycled products.

By integrating chemical principles, process design, and sustainability metrics, this issue aims to inspire innovations in circular chemistry and material regeneration for a low-carbon future.

Dr. Jingxiu Wang
Prof. Dr. Herman Potgieter
Guest Editors

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