{"id":18890,"date":"2025-02-24T22:11:59","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T22:11:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=18890"},"modified":"2025-02-26T16:17:44","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T16:17:44","slug":"new-sustainable-way-to-recycle-lithium-ion-batteries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/new-sustainable-way-to-recycle-lithium-ion-batteries\/","title":{"rendered":"New Sustainable Way to Recycle Lithium-Ion Batteries"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">University of Leicester scientists have pioneered an innovative method to recycle lithium-ion batteries using cooking oil, offering a more sustainable and cost-effective solution to support the growing demand in green technologies.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-b0ffac9c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Researchers at the University of Leicester have crafted a new method to sustainably recycle lithium-ion batteries using an unlikely ingredient: cooking oil. This innovative technique could pave the way for more eco-friendly and cost-effective recycling processes crucial to advancing green technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The team, led by Andy Abbott, a professor of physical chemistry, and Jake Yang, a lecturer in physical chemistry at the University of Leicester, under the Faraday Institution\u2019s ReLiB project, developed a patent-pending technology that employs a nanoemulsion of oil and water to extract valuable metals from the &#8220;black mass&#8221; of shredded batteries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Remarkably, this purification process occurs at room temperature and is accomplished within mere minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Leap Towards Sustainability<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;This quick, simple and inexpensive method could revolutionize how batteries are recycled at scale,&#8221; Yang said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/le.ac.uk\/news\/2025\/february\/battery-recycling-lithium-ion-cooking-oil\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">news release<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The eco-friendly approach is designed to address the urgent need for sustainable recycling methods amid the burgeoning use of electronics and electric vehicles (EVs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Existing recycling methods often involve high-temperature furnace treatments or concentrated acids, increasing carbon emissions and degrading valuable materials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In contrast, the Leicester-developed technique maintains the battery-grade crystalline structure, allowing for direct remanufacturing of batteries without extensive resource consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Science Behind the Breakthrough<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In their study <a href=\"https:\/\/pubs.rsc.org\/en\/content\/articlelanding\/2025\/su\/d4su00771a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">published<\/a> in RSC Sustainability, the researchers explain that through ultrasound, they create stable nano-droplets of oil in water. These oil nano-droplets adhere specifically to graphite particles in the black mass, forming oil-graphite conglomerates that float and can be easily skimmed off. The valuable lithium, nickel and cobalt metal oxides remain in the water, ready for recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:13px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"390\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Recycling-lithium-ion-battery.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18916\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Recycling-lithium-ion-battery.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Recycling-lithium-ion-battery-300x167.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Caption:<\/em> To recycle batteries they are firstly shredded to produce a mixed black mass. The new process uses an oil nanoemulsion to float the graphite from the mixture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Credit: <\/em>University of Leicester<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:6px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Martin Freer, CEO of the Faraday Institution, highlighted the significance of this work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The ReLiB project is one of the Faraday Institution\u2019s flagship projects developing innovative technology to capture value and retain scarce resources in the circular economy of battery manufacture and recycling,&#8221; he said in the news release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Implications and Future Directions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With over 40 million EVs and around 10 billion mobile devices worldwide, efficient recycling of lithium-ion batteries is critical. The lack of recycling regulations has left a significant gap that innovations like this aim to fill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Universities of Leicester and Birmingham are now collaborating on an InnovateUK-funded project, ReBlend, to scale this technology. The pilot line will process tens of kilograms of black mass per hour, demonstrating the method&#8217;s commercial viability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yang emphasized the potential impact, adding, \u201cWe now hope to work with a variety of stakeholders to scale up this technology and create a circular economy for lithium-ion batteries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This development signals a promising leap forward in the recycling of lithium-ion batteries, potentially making the global shift to greener technologies more sustainable and cost-efficient.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Researchers at the University of Leicester have crafted a new method to sustainably recycle lithium-ion batteries using an unlikely ingredient: cooking oil. This innovative technique could pave the way for more eco-friendly and cost-effective recycling processes crucial to advancing green technologies. The team, led by Andy Abbott, a professor of physical chemistry, and Jake Yang, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[46],"class_list":["post-18890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sustainability","tag-university-of-leicester"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Researchers at the University of Leicester have crafted a new method to sustainably recycle lithium-ion batteries using an unlikely ingredient: cooking oil. This innovative technique could pave the way for more eco-friendly and cost-effective recycling processes crucial to advancing green technologies. The team, led by Andy Abbott, a professor of physical chemistry, and Jake Yang,&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18890"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18890\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18926,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18890\/revisions\/18926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}