Towards a More Sustainable Lithium‐Ion Battery Future: Recycling LIBs from Electric Vehicles

Abstract With the number of electric vehicles (EVs) projected to increase 25‐fold by 2030, effective recycling processes need to be developed to conserve the critical raw materials (in particular, cobalt and lithium) used to make lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). Industrial recycling of LIBs is underdeveloped due to two main reasons: i) complex and particularly variable cathodic chemistries; ii) physically different shapes and sizes of battery packs which are not designed for easy disassembly. Present processes use pyrometallurgical and/or hydrometallurgical recycling methods, with the latter being widely seen as the future in view of changing battery chemistries to lower cobalt contents. As such, this paper focuses on improvements, including sorting of batteries and using alternative water‐soluble binders, to enhance LIB material recovery from hydrometallurgical processes. This review promotes the adoption of a holistic design approach for LIBs that includes ease of end‐of‐life recyclability.