Hackaday · Creativity & design

Cornell Researchers Develop Efficient Lithium Battery Recycling Method

Researchers at Cornell University have developed a new method to streamline the recycling of lithium batteries, potentially reducing costs and improving efficiency.

Current lithium battery recycling often involves grinding batteries and separating materials, a process that is time-consuming and expensive. This method requires breaking down components to rebuild them into fresh materials for new batteries.

The new technique, called direct electrode-to-electrode regeneration (DEER), electrochemically dissolves inactive electrode-electrolyte interphase layers that accumulate over time. This process rejuvenates the electrode without complete disassembly.

DEER utilizes 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone (DMI) as a solvent. Regenerated cells using this method retain up to 95% of their original capacity.

This new recycling approach can cut recycling costs by over half compared to traditional methods.

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