Environmentally friendly recycling of energy storage functional materials from hazardous waste lithium-containing aluminum electrolytes

Low energy consumption and environmentally friendly extraction of high value-added elements from waste aluminum electrolytes are crucial for developing potential mineral resources and reducing environmental hazards. This study aims to propose a new method for resource utilization of retired aluminum electrolytes by combining NH 4 Cl with CaO-assisted low-temperature calcination. The leaching rates of Li and Na exceed 94.67 % and 98.12 %, respectively. The optimal conditions for roasting transformation were determined to be NH 4 Cl/CaO: 2, CaO/LWE@Al: 2, T: 550 ℃, t: 1 h. In the leaching stage, liquid–solid ratio: 5, T: 45 ℃, t: 1.0 h were proved to be the most suitable experimental condition. An evaluation was conducted on the economic benefits and creativity of the process. Finally, the regenerated LiCoO 2 prepared from recycled Li 2 CO 3 has been proven to have better electrochemical performance than commercial LiCoO 2 , demonstrating the feasibility of energy storage use. The economic accounting results indicate that this novel process demonstrates significant financial and environmental benefits through high-value lithium recovery. Compared with traditional concentrated acid roasting, this low-temperature roasting method has lower energy consumption, higher element conversion rate, lower corrosiveness, and lower operational difficulty (without the involvement of strong acids/bases). Therefore, this process has been proven to be a green, environmentally friendly, low energy consumption, and high value-added method for comprehensive utilization of waste electrolytes.