Non-chemically valorizing the retired cathode of ternary lithium-ion battery to high-performance oxygen carrier for chemical looping combustion

The high contents of Ni, Co, and Mn in the retired cathode of ternary lithium-ion battery (rCTLIB) make it a promising raw precursor for preparing value-added reactive materials. However, most strategies for valorizing the rCTLIB highly depend on chemical leaching of Ni, Co, and Mn through complex procedures that involve the use of harsh liquids. Valorizing the rCTLIB through simple physical pathways is highly promising. Chemical looping combustion (CLC) is an innovative technology for producing energy from fossil fuels while inherently separating the resulting CO2 into a nearly pure stream for subsequent permanent storage or utilization. In this study, high-performance oxygen carrier (OC) materials for the CLC of syngas have been successfully synthesized using a facile and scalable method that physically pelletizes the rCTLIB with Al2O3 binder. Performance tests show that the H2 and CO conversions in CLC of syngas exceed 90% for all prepared OCs. This performance is comparable to that of popularly employed OCs based on supported oxides. Moreover, the obtained OCs physically prepared from the rCTLIB demonstrate high stability with respect to reactivity and oxygen transport capacity, indicating a high potential for valorizing the rCTLIB into high-performance materials for applications involving CO2 capture.