Mild and efficient recovery of lithium-ion battery cathode material by deep eutectic solvents with natural and cheap components

Dissolution of lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) is the key step for the recovery of valuable metals (e.g., Co and Li) from spent LCO-based lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, the dissolution process of LCO either needs toxic solvents, and high temperature, or shows low efficiency. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are potential green solvents to dissolve LCO. Here, DESs with polyethylene glycol (PEG) as hydrogen bond acceptor and ascorbic acid (AA) as hydrogen bond donor are found to dissolve LCO with 84.2% Co leaching efficiency at 80 oC and 72 h, which is higher than that from the reported references by common DESs. Furthermore, both DESs components (i.e., PEG and AA) are cheap, biodegradable, and biocompatible. AA could be easily and abundantly extracted from natural fruits or vegetables. It provides a new guide for the green, mild, and efficient dissolution of LCO aiming at sustainable recovery of spent LIBs. [Display omitted] •Deep eutectic solvents are cheap, biocompatible and natural.•Co leaching efficiency from lithium-ion batteries cathode by PEG:AA is high.•The leaching process is energy-saving, efficient and sustainable.