The University of Leicester says its scientists have developed a new technique for recycling lithium-ion batteries using vegetable oil.

The patent-pending technology extracts battery-grade metal oxides from crushed batteries using water and vegetable oil.

The University said the technique purifies lithium-ion battery black mass, a low-value mixture of anode, cathode, and other materials, directly within minutes at room temperature.

The research was led by Professor Andy Abbott and Dr Jake Yang at the University of Leicester, working under the Faraday Institution’s ReLiB project.

Dr Jake Yang from the University of Leicester School of Chemistry commented: “This quick, simple and inexpensive method could revolutionise how batteries are recycled at scale.

“We now hope to work with a variety of stakeholders to scale up this technology and create a circular economy for lithium-ion batteries.”

This quick, simple and inexpensive method could revolutionise how batteries are recycled at scale.

Current recycling techniques use a combination of furnace heat treatment to burn off graphite, which produces carbon emissions across the electric vehicle value chain.

Most people know oil and water do not mix unless you add soap, however, the research has shown that ultrasound can create nano-droplets of oil that are stable for weeks.

The new process developed by the University of Leicester uses these oil nano-droplets to purify battery waste, commonly known as “black mass”, as it contains a mixture of carbon (graphite) and valuable lithium, nickel and cobalt metal oxides (NMC).

The oil nano-droplets stick to the surface of the carbon and act as a “glue” to bind hydrophobic graphite particles together to form large oil-graphite conglomerates.

These particles float on water, leaving the valuable, hydrophilic lithium metal oxides untouched. The University said the oil-graphite conglomerate can then be skimmed off to leave pure metal oxides.

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