新しい電気化学プロセスによりEVバッテリーからのリチウムリサイクルが低コストに（Recycling lithium from old electric vehicle batteries could be done cheaply with new electrochemical process）

2025-08-26 ウィスコンシン大学マディソン校（UW-Madison）

＜関連情報＞

• https://news.wisc.edu/recycling-lithium-from-old-electric-vehicle-batteries-could-be-done-cheaply-with-new-electrochemical-process/
• https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsenergylett.5c01087

使用済みLiFePO4系リチウムイオン電池からの電気化学的リチウム回収 Electrochemical Li Recovery from Spent LiFePO4-Based Li-Ion Batteries

Do-Hwan Nam,Brian M. Foster,Kyoung-Shin Choi
ACS Energy Letters  Published: June 4, 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.5c01087

Abstract

The increase in electric vehicles (EVs) powered by lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) will generate a massive number of spent LIBs in the future. LiFePO₄ has recently become the most desired cathode for LIBs in EVs because it is remarkably cheaper and safer than other cathodes. Recovering lithium from spent LiFePO₄ batteries using conventional methods, however, may not be economically viable because there are no valuable metals to recover in LiFePO₄ other than lithium. This study reports the invention of an electrochemical system, composed of a Li⁺-extraction cell and a Li⁺-recovery cell, which can recycle Li⁺ from spent LiFePO₄-LIBs as Li₃PO₄, Li₂CO₃, or LiOH using simple and cost-effective procedures. While recovering Li⁺, these cells also regenerate the acid consumed for Li⁺ leaching, minimizing the chemicals needed and the waste generated, enabling sustainable and environmentally benign Li⁺ recycling. The choice of electrodes, operation principles, performance, and variation of the Li⁺-extraction/recovery cells are reported.