Toward Circular Energy: Exploring Direct Regeneration for Lithium-Ion Battery Sustainability

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are rapidly developing into attractive energy storage technologies. As LIBs gradually enter retirement, their sustainability is starting to come into focus. The utilization of recycled spent LIBs as raw materials for battery manufacturing is imperative for resource and environmental sustainability. The sustainability of spent LIBs depends on the recycling process, whereby the cycling of battery materials must be maximized while minimizing waste emissions and energy consumption. Although LIB recycling technologies (hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy) have been commercialized on a large scale, they have unavoidable limitations. They are incompatible with circular economy principles because they require toxic chemicals, emit hazardous substances, and consume large amounts of energy. The direct regeneration of degraded electrode materials from spent LIBs is a viable alternative to traditional recycling technologies and is a nondestructive repair technology. Furthermore, direct regeneration offers advantages such as maximization of the value of recycled electrode materials, use of sustainable, nontoxic reagents, high potential profitability, and significant application potential. Therefore, this review aims to investigate the state-of-the-art direct LIB regeneration technologies that can be extended to large-scale applications. Recycling is crucial for enhancing the sustainability of lithium-ion batteries, alleviating raw material shortages, and reducing carbon emissions. Replenishing lithium at the molecular level can restore its properties and prevent repetitive construction of degraded cathode materials. However, future batteries must also meet sustainability requirements while maintaining exceptional electrochemical performance. Direct upcycling offers an innovative approach to transform battery materials. image