Small‐scale and scale‐up bioleaching of Li, Co, Ni and Mn from spent lithium‐ion batteries
Sandeep Panda, Seydou Dembele, Srabani Mishra, Ata Akçıl, İsmail Agcasulu, E. Hazrati, Ayşenur Tuncuk, Pierre Malavasi, Stoyan Gaydardzhiev
Abstract
Abstract BACKGROUND A bioleaching process could offer the advantage of higher metal recovery in a sustainable manner even from lithium‐ion battery (LIB) samples with very low metal concentrations. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the use of secondary resources such as LIBs for various purposes including transportation, large‐scale energy storage and use in portable devices. RESULTS The adaptation of a mixed culture of acidophilic microorganism (lab stock culture) to a representative LIB sample allowed the setting of 0.5% of the pulp density under lab scale conditions. The maximum metal dissolution by bioleaching in a 1‐L bioreactor for the as‐received and thermally treated samples was found to be Li (67% & 49%), cobalt (81% & 86%), nickel (99% & 87%) and manganese (86% & 75%). Likewise, on the 10‐L scale, the dissolutions observed were: Li (80% & 67%), Co (75%), Ni (91% & 88%) and Mn (63% & 75%) for the as‐received and heat‐treated samples, respectively. CONCLUSION Parameters such as particle size, leaching time, pH and iron ions (Fe 2+ ) affect the efficiency of acidophilic bioleaching of Li, Co, Ni and Mn from spent LiBs. © 2024 The Authors. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).