New technique offers cheaper lithium recycling from spent batteries
Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have found a way to recycle lithium from used batteries for much less money—about $12.70 per kilogram, compared to traditional methods that can cost up to $462.
Led by Professor Xiao Su, the team dissolved old battery metals in an organic solvent to extract lithium more efficiently.
How their method works
The secret is a special polymer-coated electrode that grabs only lithium ions when electrified.
It stays effective for over 500 cycles, so it can be reused again and again while maintaining its conductivity.
This makes the process not just cheaper, but also more practical than older techniques like smelting or acid leaching.
Why this matters
With global demand for lithium rising (and prices hovering around $13 per kilogram), this new approach could help make battery recycling greener and keep supplies steady—meaning fewer worries about mining and waste.
The researchers hope scaling up this process will support a more sustainable, circular economy for all those devices we rely on every day.