Lei Pan (ChE) is the principal investigator on a project that has received a $50,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. The project is titled “I-Corps: Non-Destructive Separation Technologies for Li-ion Battery Recycling.” This is a six-month project.
By Sponsored Programs.
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The proposed innovation minimizes the use of raw materials from mining, enables the long-term material availability, stabilizes the supply chain, and reduces the life-cycle cost. Additionally, recycling Li-ion batteries using the proposed innovation generates zero secondary wastes and thus minimizes environmental footprint.
The proposed technology separates and recovers valuable materials while preserving their original functional integrity. The upcycled active battery materials can be reused in new Li-ion batteries. The proposed solution is much more energy efficient and cost effective compared to the existing processes, for which both processes involve a conversion of active cathode materials to metal alloys or metal ions in solution.