Development of Efficient and Scalable Direct Recycling Technology for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Project Update

This project concluded in September 2025, and the final report was published. UCSD successfully advanced its direct recycling technology despite the challenges posed by the complex composition and structure of lithium-ion batteries. A robust methodology was developed for the deactivation, dismantling, and separation of spent battery components, emphasizing safety and energy efficiency. The process enabled the recovery yield of over 95% of cathode and anode active materials, with a froth flotation technique yielding a cathode black mass of over 99% purity suitable for direct regeneration. The direct regeneration process developed and patented as Purification and Regeneration Integrated Materials Engineering (PRIME) further improved efficiency by integrating impurity removal into the workflow, producing high-quality cathode materials matching the performance of commercial counterparts.

The project team concluded the laboratory-scale testing included battery sorting, materials separation, and hydrothermal regeneration of cathodes and graphite anodes, producing regenerated materials with electrochemical performance matching that of new materials. The team successfully processed 1-kg batches of recycled materials, which were validated through structural and compositional analyses and rigorous cell testing. The team also successfully scaled batch sizes to 5 kilograms under industry-relevant conditions, using flotation cells, reactors, and furnaces, advancing the technology to demonstration in a real-world operational environment. Closed-loop modeling highlighted the environmental and economic benefits of direct recycling over traditional pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical methods. Specifically, the project team demonstrated that greenhouse gas emissions from the PRIME process are reduced by 55% compared with conventional recycling methods, primarily due to minimal chemical inputs. Lastly, the project team was able to fabricate cells using regenerated materials from UCSD's direct recycling process for performance validation.