Selective and sustainable recovery of lithium from black mass via microwave and green leaching techniques
Alberto Mannu, Maria Enrica Di Pietro, Viviana Bosello, Gabriele Mulas, C. Ferrario, Fabrizio Murgia, Aurora Francesca Foddai, Gabriele Magugliani, Eros Mossini, Elena Macerata, Alessandra Zanoletti, Antonella Cornelio, Sonia Calce, Elza Bontempi, Andrea Mele
Abstract
• Microwave-assisted strategy enhances lithium recovery from spent black mass. • Selective water leaching achieves up to 85% lithium extraction efficiency. • Green deep eutectic solvent (DES) enables targeted cobalt recovery. • ESCAPE index used to assess sustainability of the two-step recycling process. • Scalable and eco-friendly approach aligns with EU Green Deal targets for Li recovery. The growing demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has intensified the need for efficient and sustainable recycling processes to recover critical metals such as lithium, cobalt, Ni, and Mn from spent batteries. This study presents a novel microwave-assisted pyrometallurgical-hydrometallurgical approach for the selective and high-yield recovery of Li and from industrial black mass (BM). The process integrates microwave-induced carbothermic reduction with a two-step leaching strategy, water leaching for Li 2 CO 3 recovery and deep eutectic solvent (DES)-based leaching for Co, Ni, and Mn extraction. Advanced characterization techniques (SEM/EDS, ICP, XRD) confirmed the selective separation of metals. In the optimized version, the proposed process allowed up to 85% Li efficiency. A sustainability assessment using the ESCAPE index demonstrated the environmental advantages of this method over conventional acid-based hydrometallurgy. This scalable and eco-friendly process offers a suitable pathway for Li recovering from spent LIBs, aligning with circular economy principles and future industrial implementation.