Recycling Batteries with Fruit Peel Waste

Date:2 Apr 2023

Country: Singapore

Application

• Sustainable battery recycling: Using fruit peel waste to extract valuable metals from spent lithium-ion batteries, reducing environmental impact.
• Food waste reduction: Repurposing citrus and pineapple peels to address both battery waste and food waste, promoting circular economy practices.

Description

Researchers from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore have developed a process to recycle spent lithium-ion batteries using fruit peel waste, including lemons, oranges, and pineapples. The fruit acids help dissolve metals like cobalt, lithium, and nickel from shredded batteries. The recovered metals are then used to create new batteries with similar performance. This innovative method aims to tackle food waste while addressing the growing challenge of battery recycling.

Pathway Description:

The process starts with shredding spent lithium-ion batteries, separating metals like copper and aluminum. The remaining "black mass," containing valuable metals, is treated with a solvent derived from fruit peels, such as lemons, oranges, and pineapples. The natural acids in the fruit peels help dissolve metals like cobalt, lithium, nickel, and manganese. These metals are then precipitated as metal salts, which can be used to manufacture new lithium-ion batteries.