Green solvents in battery recycling: status and challenges

Abstract

With the increasing global demand for energy and the continuous destruction of the environment, the demand for sustainable green development is becoming increasingly urgent. However, the development and renewal of new-energy vehicles and various electronic devices have resulted in an increasing number of waste batteries. The key to the sustainable development of today's battery industry is the efficient and green recycling of valuable waste batteries, especially metal resources. Recycling batteries cannot only halt the environmental pollution caused by batteries but also transform waste into resources for reuse. Current mainstream recycling methods, such as traditional hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy, can cause substantial environmental pollution. We systematically reviewed the recent research progress on using green solvents to recycle battery metal materials. We summarized the characteristics and efficiency of each recycling process in detail to provide an effective reference for the future development of green solvents in the battery recycling industry. Finally, the prospects for developing battery technology and green solvent systems for recycling battery metal materials are discussed, and current considerations in the field of battery recycling and possibilities for each green solvent hybrid system are proposed. A green solvent hybrid system will bring about sustainable development in the battery industry by efficiently and environmentally friendly recycling of valuable resources contained in waste batteries.