Application and mechanism study of cathode materials of spent lithium-ion batteries in chemical looping gasification

Abstract

Reusing valuable metals from used lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is currently a hot topic in the field of hazardous waste disposal. In this work, the possibility of spent lithium-ion batteries as oxygen carriers was investigated through three treatments of cathode materials at different stages of the recycling process. The results showed that the cathode material possessed abundant lattice oxygen, which substantially contributed to the syngas production. The presence of aluminum foil accelerated the deactivation of the oxygen carrier. The synthesis gas yield of NCM-LA decreased to 693.9 mL/g in the fifth gasification cycle. The prepared de-aluminum material (NCM-L), de-aluminum and de-lithium material (NCM-OA) showed excellent gas production performance with average syngas yields of 961.2 mL/g and 1014.5 mL/g in 15 cycles. NCM-OA had a smaller particle size and possessed the highest lattice oxygen concentration and porosity. After releasing surface lattice oxygen, OCs were reduced to low-valent metals, thereby providing more catalytic sites and enhancing carbon dioxide adsorption. This work proposes a more affordable and eco-friendly approach for the further industrial application of cathode materials for spent lithium-ion batteries.