PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Developing advanced recycling technology to restore spent battery cathode materials

The recycling process restores spent batteries to 100% of their original capacity, making them equivalent to new batteries

Developing advanced recycling technology to restore spent battery cathode materials
2024-11-13
(Press-News.org) A research team led by Dr. Jung-Je Woo at the Gwangju Clean Energy Research Center of the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) has successfully developed a cost-effective and eco-friendly technology for recycling cathode materials* from spent lithium-ion batteries.
*Cathode Materials: Materials that play a crucial role in generating electricity by storing and releasing lithium ions during battery charging and discharging.

With the recent rise in electric vehicles and mobile devices, managing spent batteries has become a critical global challenge. By 2040, the number of decommissioned electric vehicles is expected to exceed 40 million*, leading to a sharp increase in waste batteries. Developing advanced recycling technologies has thus become an urgent priority, as the metals in batteries pose a significant risk of soil and water contamination.
*Government Support Measures for Activating a Future Waste Resource Circulation Ecosystem: Focusing on Batteries from End-of-Life Electric Vehicles" (KISTEP, February 8, 2023)

In conventional battery recycling, the typical method involves crushing spent batteries and extracting valuable metals such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt through chemical processes. However, this process requires high-concentration chemicals, which generate wastewater, and it demands substantial energy consumption due to the need for high-temperature furnaces that contribute significantly to carbon dioxide emissions.

To address these issues, direct recycling technology, which recovers and restores original materials without chemical alteration, has been attracting growing interest. However, direct recycling also has drawbacks, as it requires high-temperature and high-pressure conditions and involves complex procedures, making it both time-consuming and costly.

The research team has developed a novel technology for directly recycling spent cathode materials from lithium-ion batteries through a simple process that addresses the limitations of conventional recycling methods. This innovative approach restores the spent cathode to its original state by immersing it in a restoration solution under ambient temperature and pressure, effectively replenishing lithium ions.

The key technology is the application of galvanic corrosion using a restoration solution. Galvanic corrosion occurs when two dissimilar materials are in contact within an electrolyte environment, leading to the selective corrosion of one metal to protect the other. By utilizing this sacrificial mechanism, the research team has innovatively adapted this phenomenon for application in battery recycling.

The bromine in the restoration solution initiates spontaneous corrosion upon contact with the aluminum in the spent battery. During this process, electrons are released from the corroded aluminum and subsequently transferred to the spent cathode material. To maintain charge neutrality, lithium ions in the restoration solution are inserted into the cathode material. This recovery of lithium ions restores the cathode material to its original state.

Additionally, unlike conventional methods that require disassembly of the spent battery, the restoration reaction takes place directly within the cell, significantly enhancing the efficiency of the recycling process.

The research team confirmed through electrochemical performance testing that the restored cathode achieved a capacity equivalent to that of new materials.

Dr. Jung-Je Woo, the senior researcher, stated, “This research introduces a novel approach to restoring spent cathode materials without the need for high-temperature heat treatment or harmful chemicals.” He further emphasized, “The direct recycling of discarded electric vehicle batteries holds great potential for significantly reducing carbon emissions and establishing a circular resource economy.”

The team’s research results were published online in October 2024 in Advanced Energy Materials (Impact Factor 24.4, top 2.9%), a highly esteemed journal in the field of energy and materials science.

END

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Developing advanced recycling technology to restore spent battery cathode materials Developing advanced recycling technology to restore spent battery cathode materials 2 Developing advanced recycling technology to restore spent battery cathode materials 3

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

An advance toward inhalable mRNA medications, vaccines

2024-11-13
Most people don’t enjoy getting shots for treatments or vaccines. So, researchers are working to create more medicines, such as those made from messenger RNA (mRNA), that can be sprayed and inhaled. A study in the Journal of the American Chemical Society reports steps toward making inhalable mRNA medicines a possibility. Researchers outline their improved lipid-polymer nanoparticle for holding mRNA that is stable when nebulized and successfully delivers aerosols (liquid droplets) in mice’s lungs. mRNA ...

A step toward safer X-rays with new detector technology

A step toward safer X-rays with new detector technology
2024-11-13
X-rays are a common component of diagnostic testing and industrial monitoring, used for everything from monitoring your teeth to scanning your suitcase at the airport. But the high-energy rays also produce ionizing radiation, which can be dangerous after prolonged or excessive exposures. Now, researchers publishing in ACS Central Science have taken a step toward safer X-rays by creating a highly sensitive and foldable detector that produces good quality images with smaller dosages of the rays. “This advancement reduces detection limits and paves the way for safer and more energy-efficient medical imaging and industrial monitoring,” says Omar F. Mohammed, ...

On the origin of life: How the first cell membranes came to exist

On the origin of life: How the first cell membranes came to exist
2024-11-13
Few questions have captivated humankind more than the origin of life on Earth. How did the first living cells come to exist? How did these early protocells develop the structural membranes necessary for cells to thrive and assemble into complex organisms? New research from the lab of University of California San Diego Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Neal Devaraj has uncovered a plausible explanation involving the reaction between two simple molecules. This work appears in Nature Chemistry. Life on Earth ...

New evidence-based information from NCCN offers tangible and moral support for people trying to quit smoking

New evidence-based information from NCCN offers tangible and moral support for people trying to quit smoking
2024-11-13
PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA [November 13, 2024] — The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®)—an alliance of leading cancer centers—today announced the publication of a new patient guideline designed to provide critical support and guidance for individuals with cancer who are seeking to quit smoking. Continued smoking elevates the risk of developing additional cancers, reduces the effectiveness of treatment, exacerbates treatment side effects, and is associated with shorter survival. The new NCCN Guidelines for Patients®: Quitting Smoking explains how to best use the tools that exist to help anyone quit ...

Solving complex problems faster: Innovations in Ising machine technology

Solving complex problems faster: Innovations in Ising machine technology
2024-11-13
Computers are essential for solving complex problems in fields, like scheduling, logistics, and route planning, but traditional computers struggle with large-scale combinatorial optimization, as they can’t efficiently process vast numbers of possibilities. To address this, researchers have explored specialized systems. One such system is the Hopfield network, a significant artificial intelligence breakthrough from 1982, proven in 1985 to solve combinatorial optimization by representing solutions as energy levels and naturally finding the lowest energy, or optimal, solution. ...

Grief-specific cognitive behavioral therapy vs present-centered therapy

2024-11-13
About The Study: This randomized clinical trial demonstrates that cognitive behavioral therapy for prolonged grief was superior to present-centered therapy after treatment and at follow-up with regard to comorbid symptoms. Both treatments were shown to be effective and acceptable, showing the potential for dissemination and increasing patient choice.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Rita Rosner, PhD, email rita.rosner@ku.de. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website ...

New species discovered with refined DNA technology

New species discovered with refined DNA technology
2024-11-13
Sometimes plants are so similar to each other that the methods developed by 18th century scientist Carl Linnaeus for identifying species are not enough. In a thesis from the University of Gothenburg, completely new species of daisies have been discovered when analysed using modern DNA technology. There are currently estimated to be around 8.7 million different species on Earth, of which around 2.2 million are found in the oceans. Many species can be identified in the classical way, by their physical characteristics, the morphology. For over a decade, botanists and zoologists have also been using DNA sequencing to more accurately identify species. ...

C-PATH announces Gender Equitable Medicines for Parkinson's Disease (GEM-PD) initiative

2024-11-13
INFORMATION EMBARGOED UNTIL WEDNESDAY, NOV. 13, 2024, 7 a.m. ET   C-Path Announces Gender Equitable Medicines for Parkinson's Disease (GEM-PD) Initiative C-Path expands its worldwide leadership in accelerating drug development in neurology; seeks additional collaborators to broaden impact. TUCSON, Ariz., November 13, 2024 — Critical Path Institute (C-Path) today announced a landmark initiative, Gender Equitable Medicines for Parkinson's Disease (GEM-PD), dedicated to globally ...

Faster flowing glaciers could help predict nearby volcanic activity

2024-11-13
Glaciers that are within three miles of a volcano move nearly 50% quicker than average, a new study has found, which could help create early warning of future eruptions.   In a new article published in Communications Earth & Environment today, researchers from the University of Aberdeen, University of Birmingham and Manchester Metropolitan University analysed velocity data from 85% of the world’s approximately 217,000 glaciers. After controlling for factors such as climate, ice thickness and surface slope, the team found that glaciers near active volcanoes typically flowed 46% faster than other glaciers.  Glaciers ...

MIT engineers make converting CO2 into useful products more practical

MIT engineers make converting CO2 into useful products more practical
2024-11-13
As the world struggles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, researchers are seeking practical, economical ways to capture carbon dioxide and convert it into useful products, such as transportation fuels, chemical feedstocks, or even building materials. But so far, such attempts have struggled to reach economic viability. New research by engineers at MIT could lead to rapid improvements in a variety of electrochemical systems that are under development to convert carbon dioxide into a valuable commodity. ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Discovery explains kidney damage caused by blood pressure drugs

NYU Langone performs world’s first fully robotic double lung transplant

APSS accepting sleep and circadian research abstracts and session proposals for SLEEP 2025 in Seattle

DNA repair: A look inside the cell’s ‘repair café’

Astronomers take the first close-up picture of a star outside our galaxy

Here’s something Americans agree on: Sports build character

Engineering nature’s blueprint: Dendron-based assemblies for chlorophyll’s materials

Study reveals how cell types shape human brain networks

New genetic explanation for heart condition revealed

Poor mental health linked to browsing negative content online

People with migraine at high risk of depression during pandemic

Climate-driven hazards increases risk for millions of coastal residents, study finds

Females sleep less, awaken more frequently than males

Most Americans want primary care providers to address mental health

Millions of Americans hurt by others’ drinking, drug use: study

Plasma-derived atomic hydrogen advances low-temperature CO2 methanation at high yield

Photon qubits challenge AI, enabling more accurate quantum computing without error-correction techniques

Single gene causes embryo notochord deformity in zebrafish

Sylvester Cancer Tip Sheet - Nov 2024

AI speaks volumes when it comes to detecting Parkinson’s disease

Signals of inflammation during pregnancy linked to aging and memory changes 50 years later

Two million ex-smokers currently vape in England

When trees 'talk:' Researchers probe ancient wood for clues about massive solar storms

High nurse and doctor turnover linked to increased patient deaths in NHS hospitals

History of endometriosis and fibroids linked to heightened risk of early death

High nurse and doctor turnover rates linked to increased patient deaths in NHS hospitals

Research highlights the pressures human activities place on tropical marine ecosystems

New research sets out how to make free internet access a human right

Argonne plays critical role in assessing small modular reactor applications to rebuild a clean economy in post-war Ukraine

In the ‘Wild West’ of AI chatbots, subtle biases related to race and caste often go unchecked

[Press-News.org] Developing advanced recycling technology to restore spent battery cathode materials
The recycling process restores spent batteries to 100% of their original capacity, making them equivalent to new batteries