High yield gluconic acid leaching and recovery of valuable metals from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries
This study underscores the increasing relevance of organic acids as environmentally sustainable alternatives to conventional inorganic leaching agents. Beyond reducing the ecological footprint of leaching processes, organic acids offer improved selectivity and efficiency in metal recovery. Among the...
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| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666016425001781 |
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| author | Reinhard Lerchbammer Eva Gerold Helmut Antrekowitsch |
| author_facet | Reinhard Lerchbammer Eva Gerold Helmut Antrekowitsch |
| author_sort | Reinhard Lerchbammer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study underscores the increasing relevance of organic acids as environmentally sustainable alternatives to conventional inorganic leaching agents. Beyond reducing the ecological footprint of leaching processes, organic acids offer improved selectivity and efficiency in metal recovery. Among them, gluconic acid has proven to be a particularly effective agent for the extraction of valuable metals.Through statistical optimization, the leaching process achieved extraction efficiencies exceeding 98 % for lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries (EoL-LIBs), while significantly limiting the co-dissolution of copper, iron, and aluminum.Subsequently, nickel, cobalt, and manganese were selectively recovered through precipitation using oxalic and sulphide agents. Oxalic acid demonstrated high selectivity, leaving lithium and aluminum in solution, and enabling recovery rates of 99 %, 100 %, and 86 % for nickel, cobalt, and manganese, respectively. Sulphide precipitation was similarly effective, achieving over 97 % recovery of nickel and cobalt at pH 4.The work consolidates current knowledge on gluconic acid-based leaching and systematically evaluates its combination with conventional precipitation methods. Although complex chemical interactions in gluconate matrices occur, this study achieves high extraction and recovery efficiencies, demonstrating the practicality and potential integration of this combined approach into existing industrial recovery systems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6aa0229df6f645f19ec587b5f80f83e9 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2666-0164 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-6aa0229df6f645f19ec587b5f80f83e92025-08-20T03:58:11ZengElsevierCase Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering2666-01642025-12-011210127110.1016/j.cscee.2025.101271High yield gluconic acid leaching and recovery of valuable metals from end-of-life lithium-ion batteriesReinhard Lerchbammer0Eva Gerold1Helmut Antrekowitsch2Corresponding author.; Chair of Nonferrous Metallurgy, Montanuniversitaet Leoben, Franz Josef-Straße 18, 8700, Leoben, AustriaChair of Nonferrous Metallurgy, Montanuniversitaet Leoben, Franz Josef-Straße 18, 8700, Leoben, AustriaChair of Nonferrous Metallurgy, Montanuniversitaet Leoben, Franz Josef-Straße 18, 8700, Leoben, AustriaThis study underscores the increasing relevance of organic acids as environmentally sustainable alternatives to conventional inorganic leaching agents. Beyond reducing the ecological footprint of leaching processes, organic acids offer improved selectivity and efficiency in metal recovery. Among them, gluconic acid has proven to be a particularly effective agent for the extraction of valuable metals.Through statistical optimization, the leaching process achieved extraction efficiencies exceeding 98 % for lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries (EoL-LIBs), while significantly limiting the co-dissolution of copper, iron, and aluminum.Subsequently, nickel, cobalt, and manganese were selectively recovered through precipitation using oxalic and sulphide agents. Oxalic acid demonstrated high selectivity, leaving lithium and aluminum in solution, and enabling recovery rates of 99 %, 100 %, and 86 % for nickel, cobalt, and manganese, respectively. Sulphide precipitation was similarly effective, achieving over 97 % recovery of nickel and cobalt at pH 4.The work consolidates current knowledge on gluconic acid-based leaching and systematically evaluates its combination with conventional precipitation methods. Although complex chemical interactions in gluconate matrices occur, this study achieves high extraction and recovery efficiencies, demonstrating the practicality and potential integration of this combined approach into existing industrial recovery systems.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666016425001781Lithium-ion-battery recyclingOrganic acidsGluconic acid leachingOxalic acid precipitationSulphide precipitation |
| spellingShingle | Reinhard Lerchbammer Eva Gerold Helmut Antrekowitsch High yield gluconic acid leaching and recovery of valuable metals from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering Lithium-ion-battery recycling Organic acids Gluconic acid leaching Oxalic acid precipitation Sulphide precipitation |
| title | High yield gluconic acid leaching and recovery of valuable metals from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries |
| title_full | High yield gluconic acid leaching and recovery of valuable metals from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries |
| title_fullStr | High yield gluconic acid leaching and recovery of valuable metals from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries |
| title_full_unstemmed | High yield gluconic acid leaching and recovery of valuable metals from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries |
| title_short | High yield gluconic acid leaching and recovery of valuable metals from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries |
| title_sort | high yield gluconic acid leaching and recovery of valuable metals from end of life lithium ion batteries |
| topic | Lithium-ion-battery recycling Organic acids Gluconic acid leaching Oxalic acid precipitation Sulphide precipitation |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666016425001781 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT reinhardlerchbammer highyieldgluconicacidleachingandrecoveryofvaluablemetalsfromendoflifelithiumionbatteries AT evagerold highyieldgluconicacidleachingandrecoveryofvaluablemetalsfromendoflifelithiumionbatteries AT helmutantrekowitsch highyieldgluconicacidleachingandrecoveryofvaluablemetalsfromendoflifelithiumionbatteries |