Li-ion batteries (LIBs) are the primary choice in the e-mobility application and their demand is expected to accelerate significantly in the coming years. However, the scarcity of critical raw materials in batteries highlights the challenge of meeting material demands. Consequently, recycling emerges as a vital strategy to recover and reuse these materials. In addition, LIBs that have reached the end of their life are categorized as hazardous and potentially harmful waste. The concept of direct recycling has attracted a lot of attention in recent years because it offers several advantages compared to other recycling methods that require high energy consumption and chemicals utilization.
In this poster, we present an innovative direct recycling process for regenerating Li0.89(Ni0.82Co0.14Al0.04O2) (NCA) cathode active material (CAM) recovered from spent Li-ion batteries. The process begins with a gentle heat pretreatment at low temperatures to facilitate the separation of the cathode from the aluminium current collector. To achieve this, cathode strips from used Li-ion batteries are heated at either 150 °C or 250 °C for 2 hours under air, Leading to the weakening of the strong adhesion and bonding between the polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) binder and the aluminium surface. This allows for the complete and efficient recovery of the cathode material without structure or morphology change. The full reconditioning of the NCA-based CAM is then performed by replenishing lithium using Li2CO3, at different sintering temperatures (750 or 900 °C) under oxygen atmosphere. The structural, elemental, morphological, and electrochemical characterizations were conducted on the different recycled cathode active materials under different conditions. The NCA material recovered at 150 °C and sintered at 900 °C (R1–NCA–900) exhibited the best electrochemical performance, consistent with XRD analysis confirming its well-ordered structure.