Upcycling graphite from waste lithium-ion batteries into reduced graphene oxide hybrid composite anodes
The rapid growth of lithium-ion battery (LIB) usage has intensified the need for efficient recycling strategies, particularly for graphite, the predominant anode material often overlooked in current recovery processes. This study presents a novel approach to upcycling graphite from spent lithium-ion...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-09-01
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| Series: | Results in Engineering |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123025029305 |
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| Summary: | The rapid growth of lithium-ion battery (LIB) usage has intensified the need for efficient recycling strategies, particularly for graphite, the predominant anode material often overlooked in current recovery processes. This study presents a novel approach to upcycling graphite from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), focusing on flotation-based separation of graphite from black mass derived from nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) battery waste. Spent laptop LIBs were crushed, and the resulting black mass was size-fractionated. Flotation experiments revealed that the optimal particle size of black mass for graphite recovery was 106 – 25 µm, effectively minimizing contamination from metallic foils. Pyrolysis at 500°C efficiently removed organic binders without degrading graphite quality. Systematic flotation tests demonstrated that a slurry pH of 9 yielded the highest separation efficiency. Under these optimized conditions (particle size of 25 – 106 µm, pH 9), graphite recovery exceeded 94 %, with a corresponding graphite grade about 80 %. The recovered graphite was subsequently converted to graphene oxide and then composited with TiNb₂O₇ to fabricate reduced graphene oxide-based hybrid anodes. Electrochemical evaluation showed that the upcycled composite anodes delivered a reversible capacity of approximately 138 mAh g⁻¹ at a 0.1C rate within a 0.8–3.0 V window. This integrated approach offers a scalable, value-added solution for LIB waste management, supporting circular economy principles and advancing sustainable energy storage technologies. |
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| ISSN: | 2590-1230 |