Sustainability Challenges: The Circular Economy Dilemma in Lithium-Ion Battery Cell Electrochemical Discharging Processes

Recycling lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is crucial for environmental sustainability and resource conservation. However, current recycling procedures, particularly for smaller battery formats, pose several challenges. With the increasing demands of the circular economy for LIB waste treatment, it is essential to identify and address obstacles associated with concurrent processes. Thus, this study focuses on characterizing and examining the dilemmas of electrochemical discharging of cylindrical LIB cells. It primarily examines the quantity and composition of released battery mass from nickel-aluminium-cobalt (NCA) LIB cells using aqueous discharging via solutions of sodium chloride (NaCl), sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and sodium nitrate (NaNO
3
) within the 5-30 wt. % range. Additionally, the work monitored several procedure parameters, including the voltage profiles during discharging, the extent of battery contacts and casing damage after discharging, the character and material composition of the obtained battery mass, and the composition of the wastewater obtained after separating the solid product from waste solutions. Consequently, it was determined that the industrial implementation of these procedures, including material leakage and disposal, may incur economic losses of up to 1560 USD/tonne due to metal loss.