2026 Zhai Reduction Roasting and Selective Battery Leaching

Amid growing environmental pressure and increasing demand for resource sustainability, the efficient recovery of valuable metals from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has become a critical challenge in the field of resource recycling. Therefore, a novel approach is presented for selective lithium (Li) and manganese (Mn) separation from LiNi xCoyMn1−x−yO2 by combining carbothermic reduction roasting and selective leaching. Low-cost glucose (C6H12O6) was selected as the reduction roasting reductant, which converts the cathode materials into water-soluble lithium carbonate (Li2CO3), water-insoluble cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), and manganese oxide (MnO). Wet magnetic separation was employed to preferentially extract Li while simultaneously removing excess carbon from Ni, Co, and MnO. Under optimal roasting conditions at 600 ◦C for 90 min followed by wet magnetic separation with a liquid–solid ratio of 30 mL/g for 30 min, 95.42% of Li was preferentially extracted. Subsequently, at a formic acid (HCOOH) concentration of 1.6 mol/L, liquid–solid ratio of 6 mL/g, and leaching time of 30 min, 94.29% of Mn was selectively extracted from the wet magnetic separation products, whereas Ni and Co were leached at 6.13% and 7.22% respectively. The acid-leaching residue can be recycled as a Ni-Co alloy.