(573d) Using Electrochemical CO2 Reduction to Recover Lithium Carbonate from Spent Lithium-Ion Battery Compounds

Recycling lithium-ion batteries is becoming more important than ever before due to the global push towards a more electric economy. The objective of my research is to facilitate the recovery of Lithium Carbonate (Li₂CO₃) from Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LiCoO₂) in a high-pressure electrochemical CO₂ environment. LiCoO₂ is commonly used as the cathode material of lithium-ion batteries and current recycling technologies have a variety of disadvantages including the requirement for high energy inputs and the production of environmental pollutants. We hypothesize that lithium can be recovered from spent LiCoO₂ cathodes by forming insoluble Li₂CO₃ through electrochemical redox reactions performed in CO₂ gas expanded electrolytes.CO₂ expanded electrolytes present a novel reaction media for the oxidation of LiCoO₂ and reduction of Li⁺ with CO₂, therefore, this work will focus on discovering fundamental knowledge about this system including thermodynamics, reaction mechanisms and selectivity.