Tribocatalytic recycling of lithium-ion batteries

With the rapid advancement of global energy storage technologies, lithium battery-based energy storage systems have experienced particularly swift development. Concurrently, the growing number of retired lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has increased annually, posing significant environmental challenges; improper disposal may lead to severe ecological contamination. Retired LIBs contain various valuable materials, such as cobalt and lithium. Therefore, the development of efficient and environmentally friendly recycling processes for the treatment of spent LIBs has become a focal point of global academic research.

Researchers utilized a novel catalytic technology—tribocatalysis—which was applied for the first time to achieve the recycling and reuse of cathode materials from spent lithium-ion batteries. The integration of theoretical calculations (including electrostatic potential, adsorption energy, and electron density difference) with experimental results confirmed that the tribocatalytic weak-acid leaching process is an effective method for ion leaching. Furthermore, ESR and free radical trapping experiments demonstrated that reactive species generated during the friction process play a crucial role in the efficient leaching of various ions from lithium-ion batteries.

Currently, pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy are the two most commonly employed methods for the recovery of valuable materials from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The conventional pyrometallurgical process typically involves the complete incineration of acetylene black, organic electrolytes, and binders, which results in significant energy consumption. In contrast, hydrometallurgy offers advantages such as milder reaction conditions and higher recovery efficiency. However, toxic gases including Cl₂, SO₃, and NOₓ are often released during the process. Moreover, the recovery procedure becomes more complex due to multiple separation and purification steps required between cobalt, lithium, and other components, potentially leading to secondary environmental pollution. As stated by Professor Changzheng Hu from the College of Materials Science and Engineering at Guilin University of Technology (China).

However, tribocatalysis effectively addresses these limitations and enables the efficient recovery of metal ions from spent lithium-ion batteries. This method holds significant potential for both reducing and leaching metal ions, thereby helping to alleviate the scarcity of valuable resources while efficiently managing waste lithium-ion power batteries. Such capabilities contribute to the promotion of sustainable and healthy development within the lithium-ion battery industry.

The research team published their findings in the Journal of Advanced Ceramics in June 23, 2025.

This study was supported by the Guangxi Science and Technology Plan (Grant Nos. AA25069001, AD25069100).

About Journal of Advanced Ceramics

Journal of Advanced Ceramics (JAC) is an international academic journal that presents the state-of-the-art results of theoretical and experimental studies on the processing, structure, and properties of advanced ceramics and ceramic-based composites. JAC is Fully Open Access, monthly published by Tsinghua University Press, and exclusively available via SciOpen. JAC’s 2024 IF is 16.6, ranking in Top 1 (1/33, Q1) among all journals in “Materials Science, Ceramics” category, and its 2024 CiteScore is 25.9 (5/130) in Scopus database. ResearchGate homepage: https://www.researchgate.net/journal/Journal-of-Advanced-Ceramics-2227-8508