Electrolytic Recovery of Metals from Lithium Battery Cathodes in Moisture-Tolerant Molten Hydroxide Salt

Mixed metal oxides in the form of lithium-ion cathode materials of LiNi0.6Mn0.2Co0.2O2 and spent lithium-ion battery materials (black mass) were electrochemically reduced to a soluble form and dissolved into a molten hydroxide salt bath. A separate cathode was used to produce alloys of Ni, Mn, and Co electrochemically from the dissolved lithium-ion cathode materials. This approach represents a scalable, carbon-free, low temperature pyroelectrochemical process that can potentially reduce the cost and close the loop of battery cathode recycling.