Anode carbonaceous material recovered from spent lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles for environmental application

• Anode carbonaceous material (ACM) from spent lithium ion battery is examined. • ACM has a high sorption capacity for Ba, Pb, and Cd due to high CEC. • ACM promotes the oxidation of DNT and RDX by persulfate as a catalyst. • ACM enhances the reduction of DNT and RDX by sulfur-containing reductants. • Application of ACM for remediation will be beneficial to anode recycling. Recycling opportunities for graphitic carbon from lithium-ion battery (LIB) anodes have been neglected owing to the relative low value of application. In this study, the potential methods for removing toxic metals (lead, barium, and cadmium) and organic compounds (2,4-dinitrotoluene [DNT], 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene [TNT], hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine [RDX], and 2,4-dichlorophenol [DCP]) with anode carbonaceous material (ACM) obtained from the anodes of spent LIBs were evaluated. The sorption ability of ACM for lead is higher (the maximal sorption capacity is 43.5 mg/g) than for barium and cadmium. Similarly, the maximal sorption capacity of ACM for DCP is 6.5 mg/g, which is higher than those for TNT and DNT (2.6 and 2.3 mg/L, respectively). As a catalyst, ACM significantly enhances oxidation by persulfate with zero-valent iron and reduction by dithiothreitol (DTT) and hydrogen sulfides for nitro compounds. In addition, the graphitic properties enhance the redox reactions. The results suggest that ACM from spent LIBs may be an effective sorbent and catalyst in redox processes for the remediation of contaminated water and soil.