Coupling CO2 capture process with electrochemically enhanced membrane distillation system for lithium-ion battery recovery: Reagent-Saving and environmental footprint reducing

Longjie Jiang; Lin Chen; Chuqing Cao; Kang Chen; Chuhang Ji; Yi Zhang; Fangqun Gan

doi:10.1016/j.watres.2024.122976

Coupling CO₂ capture process with electrochemically enhanced membrane distillation system for lithium-ion battery recovery: Reagent-Saving and environmental footprint reducing

Water Res. 2024 Dec 15:272:122976. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.122976. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Longjie Jiang¹, Lin Chen², Chuqing Cao³, Kang Chen¹, Chuhang Ji¹, Yi Zhang¹, Fangqun Gan⁴

Affiliations

¹ College of Environment and Ecology, Jiangsu Open University, Nanjing 210017, China; Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Centre for Ecological and Environmental Protection in Urban and Rural Water Environment Management and Low Carbon Development, Nanjing 210017, China.
² Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resources Development of Shallow Lakes, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China; College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China. Electronic address: chen_lin@hhu.edu.cn.
³ HIT Wuhu Robot Technology Research Institute, Wuhu 241000, China.
⁴ College of Environment and Ecology, Jiangsu Open University, Nanjing 210017, China; School of Chemical Engineering and Materials, Changzhou Institute of Technology, Changzhou 213032, China. Electronic address: qunfanggan@163.com.

PMID: 39693792
DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.122976

Abstract

The evolution of energy structure and the push for carbon neutrality have triggered an urgent call for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, reclaiming end-of-life LIBs with high purity, high efficiency, and low environmental impact, particularly by eliminating chemical reagent usage and promoting a closed-loop carbon footprint, is challenging. Herein, we proposed a strategy that couples the carbon capture (CC) process with an electrochemically enhanced membrane distillation system (ECMD). The artificial LiCoO₂ leachate was treated under the Li⁺/Co²⁺ separating mode, and the separation factor exceeded 14,000, forming CoO(OH) precipitates and Li-enriched concentrates. Subsequently, the Li-enriched concentrates were treated in Li⁺ recovering mode, and battery-grade Li₂CO₃ was harvested with a purity of over 99.80 wt.%. The calculated production yield of Li₂CO₃ was up to 234.19 g·kW^-1·h^-1, with a CC efficiency of 31.89 %. The membrane fouling and membrane failure analysis further confirmed the robustness of this process. Finally, the mass transfer and conversion processes were described by coupling the Antoine equation, Faraday's law, and two-film theory. On this basis, a dynamic equilibrium model was established, which revealed the feasibility of the long-term zero-liquid-discharge treatment. This research provides an innovative pathway for LIBs recycling, and highlights the potential of the proposed mathematic model for designing novel membrane processes with smaller environmental footprints.

Keywords: Carbon capture; Dynamic equilibrium model; Electrochemically enhanced membrane distillation; Libs recycling; Mass transfer-conversion mechanism.