US chemists efficiently recycle lithium from used EV batteries

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have developed a novel, low-cost electrochemical method to efficiently recycle lithium from spent lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) electric vehicle (EV) batteries. Unlike conventional recycling methods that are economically unviable for LFP batteries due to the absence of valuable metals other than lithium, this new two-step process selectively extracts lithium ions using a lithium-ion storage electrode and then recovers them as high-purity lithium chemicals such as Li3PO4, Li2CO3, or LiOH. The method regenerates the acid used in lithium leaching, minimizing chemical consumption and waste, thus offering a sustainable and environmentally friendly recycling approach. The researchers demonstrated the process’s effectiveness using both commercial LFP batteries and industrial black mass derived from spent batteries. This electrochemical system operates under mild conditions without requiring special inputs, making it potentially scalable and cost-effective. Given the growing market shift toward LFP batteries—which are cheaper and safer but less valuable to recycle due to