Due to these reasons, direct recycling technology is increasingly being adopted these days. It recovers and restores original materials without chemical alteration. However, this process has its own drawbacks: It is substantially costly and involves many complex procedures.
Therefore, Korean researchers developed a new technology for directly recycling spent cathode materials from lithium-ion batteries through a simple process that addresses the limitations of conventional recycling methods.
The new approach “restores the spent cathode to its original state by immersing it in a restoration solution under ambient temperature and pressure, effectively replenishing lithium ions.”