A review on spent lithium-ion battery recycling: from collection to black mass recovery

The advent of lithium-ion battery technology in portable electronic devices and electric vehicle applications results in the generation of millions of hazardous e-wastes that are detrimental to the ecosystem. A proper closed-loop recycling protocol reduces the environmental burden and strengthens a country with resource sustainability, circular economy, and the provision of raw materials. However, to date, only 3% of spent LIBs have been recycled. The recycling efficiency can be further increased upon strong policy incentives by the government and legislative pressure on the collection rate. This review sheds light on the pretreatment process of end-of-life batteries that includes storage, diagnosis, sorting, various cell discharge methods (e.g., liquid medium, cryogenic and thermal conditioning, and inert atmosphere processing), mechanical dismantling (crushing, sieving, sequential, and automated segregation), and black mass recovery (thermally and solvent leaching). The advantage of the stagewise physical separation and practical challenges are analyzed in detail. Disassembling the battery module pack at the cell level with the improved technology of processing spent batteries and implementing artificial intelligence-based automated segregation is worth it for high-grade material recovery for battery applications. Herein, we outline an industry-viable mechanochemical separation process of electrode materials in a profitable and ecofriendly way to mitigate the energy demand in the near future

Accurate Whole-Genome Sequencing and Haplotyping from 10 to 20 Human Cells

Recent advances in whole genome sequencing have brought the vision of personal genomics and genomic medicine closer to reality. However, current methods lack clinical accuracy and the ability to describe the context (haplotypes) in which genome variants co-occur in a cost-effective manner. Here we describe a low-cost DNA sequencing and haplotyping process, Long Fragment Read (LFR) technology, similar to sequencing long single DNA molecules without cloning or separation of metaphase chromosomes. In this study, ten LFR libraries were made using only ~100 pg of human DNA per sample. Up to 97% of the heterozygous single nucleotide variants (SNVs) were assembled into long haplotype contigs. Removal of false positive SNVs not phased by multiple LFR haplotypes resulted in a final genome error rate of 1 in 10 Mb. Cost-effective and accurate genome sequencing and haplotyping from 10-20 human cells, as demonstrated here, will enable comprehensive genetic studies and diverse clinical applications

Radon exhalation rate and radon activity in soils of riverine environs of South Karnataka

In the present study, sealed “can technique” using solid-state nuclear track detector (LR-115) films was employed to measure the radon exhalation rate and radium concentration in soil samples of Cauvery river environment. The mean values of radon activity, radon surface exhalation, and mass exhalation are 216.15 Bq m−3, 521.08 Bq m−1 h−1, and 247.21 mBq kg−1 h−1, respectively. The radium activity concentration and radon exhalation show good correlation

Natural Radionuclides and Radon Exhalation Rate in the Soils of Cauvery River Basin

In this study, systematic measurement of activity concentrations of 40 K, 226 Ra, and 232 Th and radon exhalation rate has been done in soil samples of Cauvery River environment. The activity was measured using HPGe gamma-ray spectrometer, and the mean values of 40 K, 226 Ra, and 232 Th in the soil samples were found to be 182 ± 4, 34 ± 2, and 19 ± 1 Bq kg −1 , respectively. The radon exhalation rate was measured by “Can technique” using SSNTD (LR-115) films. The mean values of radium concentration, surface exhalation, and mass exhalation rate were found to be 118.95, 293.61, and 108.53 mBq kg −1 h −1 , respectively. The radiological hazard indices due to natural radioactivity were calculated and compared with international recommended values, which are lower than the recommended level. The radon exhalation rate is lower than the recommended level

Lead–carbon hybrid ultracapacitors fabricated by using sulfur, nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide as anode material derived from spent lithium-ion batteries

The electrochemical-grade natural graphite flake prices are increasing day by day. Reusing and recycling graphite materials from the spent lithium-ion battery (LIB) is a prospective way to overcome the issue. This report presents the synthesis of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) from spent LIB by the improved Hummers method followed by calcination at 600 °C (RGO-600). S, N-RGO-600 was prepared by doping sulfur and nitrogen with RGO-600 through hydrothermal synthesis. Assynthesized S, N-RGO-600s have sheet-like morphology having uniform heteroatom doping. S- and N-doped RGO-600 delivers 375 F g−1 at 5 A g−1 compared to RGO-600 of 233 F g−1 and retains > 98% capacitance over 20,000 cycles. The lead–carbon hybrid ultracapacitors fabricated using in-situ activated PbO2 as cathode and S, N-RGO-600 composite electrode as anode deliver a specific capacitance of 564 F g−1 at 5 A g−1 and retain 90% capacitance after 15,000 cycles. The high capacitance and stable cycle life of RGO and S, N-RGO are due to easy access of electrolyte ions through mesoporous and layered graphitic carbons with redox-active functional moieties of sulfur and nitrogen. This work illustrates an easy and scalable synthesis root for RGO and S, N-RGO. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature

Plasma jet printing induced high-capacity graphite anodes for sustainable recycling of lithium-ion batteries

Graphite is an integral part of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, due to limited resources and high production cost, producing battery grade graphite to meet the increasing demands for energy storage devices is becoming a challenge. One viable approach is to recycle the spent graphite anodes from end-of-life LIBs. Importantly, recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is off utmost importance to address the global challenge of electronic waste management. Herein, we present an environmentally friendly technique of graphite recycling from spent LIB by water leaching, followed by atmospheric plasma jet printing. The major advantage of this method is that it does not require any binders or conductive diluents. Plasma-printed recycled graphite showed a significantly enhanced specific capacity of 402 mAh g−1 at 500 mA g−1 at the end of the 1000th charge-discharge cycle, in comparison to water-washed recycled graphite (112 mAh g−1) and a 23.35 times faster diffusivity of Li+. A detailed experimental investigation revealed that the plasma activation of the graphitic structure resulted in the improved reversible Li+ storage. This work provides a new perspective on the recycling strategy of graphite anodes using in situ plasma functionalization, a significant step towards the sustainable future of LIBs