Developing a new route for metal recovery from secondary Li-ion battery sources through bioleaching
Lithium-ion batteries are used in various electronic devices and electric vehicles and growing demand for them has led to a significant build-up of discarded batteries. By harnessing the bioleachingprocess, the ECOTRIA project is developing an innovative route for the recovery of metals such as lithium or other materials in electronic waste.
The project’s main objectives are:
- Characterise the battery cells, develop a safe opening strategy and characterise the anode and cathode components
- Assess the toxicity of the cell components to the culture media and evaluate recovery performance
- 90% recovery of lithium and 65% recovery of magnesium, cobalt and nickel under experimental conditions
