U.S and world demand for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIB) are expected to increase as the market for hybrid and electric vehicles grows. In turn global demand for the critical materials used in LIB will stretch resource supplies. To help in the development of a sustainable LIB economy we have been investigating a biohydrometallurgical process to recover valuable materials from end-of-life LIB. Bioleaching methods are generally scalable, have lower operational and capital costs than chemical methods for metal recovery, and can be environmentally friendly. For this work we have developed an effective bioleaching strategy for recovery of critical materials such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese from LIB cathode powders using lixiviant produced by the bacterium Gluconobacter oxydans. The process was optimized in 50 conical tube by varying leaching time, temperature, and shaking speeds. LIB pulp density (ratio of LIB powders to biolixiviant), organic acid concentration, and spent LIB materials were evaluated for Li, Co, Ni, and Mn recovery efficiency. The process was also scaled for simulating industrial processing. Results suggested that increasing the temperature of the leaching process (20°C to 70°C) did not improve recovery but lowering the pulp density was beneficial. Recovery dropped &gt;40% at pulp density ≥3% (1.5-33% tested). A major challenge for recovery of the Li and Co was overcome with the addition of the redox agent ferrous sulfate; Li and Co recovery increased ~8- and 15-fold, respectively. Biolixiviant (pH 2.15, 220 mM) with Fe(II) was more effective at solubilizing Li and Co than strong acids (HCl, HNO3, H2SO4) at a similar pH, although the addition of the acids at 220 mM were similar. Leaching of spent LIB was almost as efficient as leaching of virgin LiCoO2 powders.

Sustainable bioleaching of critical elements from lithium ion batteries by Gluconobacter oxydans

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

[Author Benefits](https://scimeetings.acs.org/?utm_source=pubs_content_marketing&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=0320_MCF_NPI_Launch_Spring_Homepage&ref=pubs_content_marketing)

[How to use SciMeetings](https://storage.googleapis.com/dl.morressier.com/acs/SciMeetings-ACSSpring2020-HowToGuide_M3020-Final.pdf)

[Frequently Asked Questions](https://storage.googleapis.com/dl.morressier.com/acs/SciMtng_ACSNMSp2020_FAQ_M3120_Final.pdf)

ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.